Michael Klim reveals he has been struggling 'mentally' to accept his 'new identity' after autoimmune disorder left him unable to walk: 'In a lot of people's eyes I'm a swimmer' READ MORE: Michael Klim's ex speaks about her new life in LA after split with Olympic swimmer By Marta Jary For Daily Mail Australia Published: 11:02, 25 August 2024 | Updated: 11:02, 25 August 2024 e-mail View comments Michael Klim has revealed that his biggest battle has been mental, not physical, as he grapples with a rare autoimmune disorder which left him unable to walk . The Aussie swimming legend, 46, was diagnosed with the neurological disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in 2020. This weekend, he told The Sunday Project that the 'mental toughness' he had as an athlete is something he had to rediscover to cope with his physical ailments.
'Pretty much all athletes are taught physically, mentally you push on. Even after sport, I adopted that same mindset' he said. 'For me to be more vulnerable and listening to my body and my emotion is something that I'm still learning to do better and something that's helped me a lot.
He added: 'The biggest thing I had to overcome was accepting the new identity. I'm still in a lot of people's eyes the swimmer guy. And I used to rely on my physicality to give me a lot of mental toughness.
'Now that physicality is actually gone, I need to find other mental strength to overcome physical disabilities.' Michael went on to say that as his .