Celebrity Lindsey Vonn Reveals Depression Battle "I felt hopeless, empty, like a zombie," the Olympic ski champion tells PEOPLE By Elizabeth Leonard Elizabeth Leonard Elizabeth Leonard is Managing Executive Editor and West Coast Bureau Chief for PEOPLE, where she's worked in leadership positions across the brand's entertainment and human interest verticals for 25 years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 13, 2012 12:45PM EST Photo: Joe Pugliese Lindsey Vonn seems to have it all. As the most decorated skier in U.S. history, Vonn’s easy smile and record-decimating athletic career have made her a fixture on podiums, magazine covers and multi-million dollar endorsement deals. But life off the slopes wasn’t always so rosy. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Olympic gold medalist, 28, discloses that she’s quietly suffered from depression for many years and currently takes an anti-depressant to help manage her symptoms. “Everything about my life seemed so perfect to people. But I struggle like everyone else,” Vonn confesses. At one point in 2008, she says, “I couldn’t get out of bed anymore. I felt hopeless, empty, like a zombie.” But these days, Vonn is happier than she’s been in a long time. “I feel like I just needed to get everything off my chest,” says the ski racer, who filed for divorce late last year from her husband Thomas Vonn, also her longtime manager and coach. With the winter race season underway – Vonn nabbed her 57th World Cup win on Dec. 8 in St. Moritz, Switzerland – she’s hit a new groove. “All the parts of my life are finally in sync,” she says. “I accept who I am, and I’m moving forward.”