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Jun 24, 2026, 6:46 PM CUT

Shawn Johnson and Andrew East Reveal Surprising Details About Their Marriage

Credits: @beyfortus_nirsevimab_alip and @shawnjohnson on Instagram

Knowing every tiny detail about each other isn’t surprising for Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson and her husband, former NFL star Andrew East. But some of those were surprising enough for others.

Following the release of their book The Courage to Commit, the athlete-couple recently took part in the Fitness and In Health segment for Women’s Health. And the quiz, meant for testing their knowledge of each other, brought out some interesting facts.

“What's one thing about my fitness that you think people would be surprised to know?” asked Shawn. To which East answered, “It's surprising to a lot of people that you do so much strength-based training.” 

Credits: @shawnjohnson on Instagram

Johnson, 34, shares her three children, Dew (6), Jett (4) and Bear (2) with East. But age has nothing on her, as the former gymnast can box-jump her own height, which is 4’11. And somehow, even her husband cannot compete with her.

“I would not recommend working out with Shawn, because she is a tough workout partner,” he revealed why he doesn’t tag along with Johnson during her workout sessions. “She has high expectations.”

But Johnson's impressive fitness didn't come easily. The former gymnast had to find her groove.

How Misinformation Nearly Derailed Shawn Johnson's Fitness Journey

Despite doing a sport defined by physicality, the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist was bound by misinformation. She knew what her body was built for, but couldn’t find a suitable workout which fits the best.

“I had a lot of people telling me… I had to be really careful lifting weights, because I was going to look like a bodybuilder so quickly,” she admitted in the same segment. “It wasn't until I had this trainer literally strip all of that false information down. And he just started me on Olympic weightlifting…”

Her body responded quickly to Olympic weightlifting. Now, after a decade of being married, Johnson might know East’s liking for Snickers bars, chicken parmesan or C4 Energy drinks. But she has yet to convince him to work out with her.

With that being said, do you think gymnasts are stronger than NFL players? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy