Mary Lou Retton is a former American gymnast who was born on January 24, 1968. She earned the gold medal in the individual all-around category at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. As a result of her efforts, she quickly became one of the most well-known athletes in the country.
Mary Lou Retton Net Worth
Mary Lou Retton is a former American gymnast with a $2 million fortune. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Mary Lou Retton took first place in the women’s all-around category.
She made history by becoming the first American gymnast to win both the all-around and an individual gold medal at the Olympics. Mary Lou was behind the leader, the Romanian Ecaterina Szabo, by only five-hundredths of a point in one of the most tense moments in sports history.
Mary Lou would have to score a perfect 10 on the vault to beat the competition. To everyone’s surprise, she got a perfect score of 10, making her an overnight superstar throughout the globe. She finished the ’84 Olympics with a total of five medals, including the aforementioned gold as well as two silvers and two bronzes.
Retton maintained her prominence in the public eye after the Olympics in a number of ways, probably most famously as a Reagan administration supporter. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at The University of Texas in Austin and went on to star in several television advertisements and endorsement deals, most notably for Wheaties.
After being hospitalized for more than a week with an undiagnosed disease that left her unable to breathe on her own, Mary Lou’s daughter McKenna broke the news to her mother on October 10, 2023. McKenna also disclosed that her mother lacks health insurance, prompting her to provide a link to a GoFundMe campaign seeking $50,000 to cover her medical bills.
Mary Lou Retton Endorsements
Retton’s sponsorship deals piled up after she retired from gymnastics. She was featured on the cereal box for Wheaties and went on to represent Revco, a network of drugstores in the United States. During Reagan’s presidency, Retton was a vocal supporter of the government, even starring in several campaign commercials.
She accompanied him to a rally in support of his reelection bid as well. For many years later, she also stayed active in conservative politics. She and fellow former gymnast Kerri Strug recited the Pledge of Allegiance during the 2004 Republican National Convention on the second night.
Mary Lou Retton Other Appearances
In addition, Retton appeared in other movies and TV episodes in cameo roles. You may recognize her from her roles in “Scrooged” and “Naked Gun 33+ 1/3: Final Insult.” In 2014, she also had roles in “Knots Landing,” “Baywatch,” and a RadioShack commercial.
In 2018, she was a contestant on the show’s 27th season of “Dancing with the Stars.” She danced with pro Sasha Farber but was ousted in week six, finishing in ninth place.
Mary Lou Retton Lifestyle Issues
Retton continued her education after retiring from gymnastics by enrolling at The University of Texas in Austin. Retton returned to West Virginia from Houston, Texas in 2009.
She returned to Houston in 2012 and married Shannon Kelley, a real estate developer and a former quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns. Shayla, McKenna, Skyla, and Emma were their four daughters. In 2018, they decided to separate from one another.
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