Olympic gymnast and representative of life on Earth
An image of Cathy Rigby was chosen to travel on a NASA space probe to teach aliens about the human body. But as she became a star athlete she was battling an eating disorder.
Cathy Rigby popularised gymnastics in the US, gracing the covers of magazines after her performances at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. She became the first American woman to win a medal at the 1970 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She excelled even though she was battling with eating disorders that she would only conquer years later when she switched tumbling through the air as a gymnast for a Broadway role as the flying, free-spirited, Peter Pan. But where her legacy will live on longest is in space. Her image was selected to travel on a Voyager space probe to show other life forms the human body.
During this interview, Cathy speaks frankly about her battle with eating disorders. If you need support following anything you've heard in this episode there’s information at bbc.com/action line
Get in touch: [email protected]
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Patrick Kiteley
(Photo: Stroboscopic image of Cathy Rigby on the balance beam. Credit: Phillip Leonian, from the Leonian Charitable Trust)
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