EXCLUSIVE: Mary Lou Retton Was Trapped in Near-Fatal Health Fight Months Before Being Found With Wine In Car During DUI Arrest
Mary Lou Retton was on the road to recovery following a near-fatal health battle before being arrested.
June 3 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Mary Lou Retton was desperately trying to recover from a horrifying bout of pneumonia months before she was busted and arrested on a DUI charge, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In May, the Olympic gold medalist was cuffed and charged with "driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs; penalties," but her journey had been on the ups before the major mishap.
Retton Was Close To Dying
Retton's bout with pneumonia almost ended her life.
In 2024, Retton spent a month at the hospital as she had to be intubated because she couldn’t breathe during her health battle.
"I should be dead," the 57-year-old previously told Hoda Kotb during an interview with Today. "The doctors told (my four daughters) to come to say their goodbyes.
"They prayed over me, and (my daughter) McKenna said, ‘Mommy, it’s OK, you can go. I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can’t imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed."
However, the former athlete was able to defy the odds.
Retton's Recovery Detailed
The Olympic hero's daughters came to say goodbye to their mom when they believed she was going to die.
An insider said Retton had "bounced back" and was on the road to recovery, after her family admitted she was "fighting for her life."
"We really thought we would lose her," a source said at the time. "Mary Lou must have a guardian angel watching over her."
After being released from the hospital, Retton's 30-year-old daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, posted that her famous mom’s "path to recovery is steadily unfolding. Her fighting spirit is truly shining! Her breathing is becoming stronger, and her reliance on machines is diminishing."
Shayla's younger sister McKenna, 28, also praised her mom's "remarkable" progress, and added at the time: "Prayers have been felt and are being answered."
While still recovering, Retton was arrested and charged with a DUI.
McKenna had previously revealed her mother wasn't able to "breathe on her own."
Fast-forward a year later and Retton once again sparked concern after being arrested in West Virginia. According to the police report, Retton was “driving all over the roadway” heading toward downtown in the area.
When Fairmont Police Department officers made contact with Retton, “the odor of alcohol was emitting from her person,” and she was slurring her words.
DUI Arrest and 'Vanishing'
The officers on site reported they noticed a “screw top container of wine” in the passenger seat of Retton’s vehicle. The complaint noted the Olympian had signs of impairment on all three phases of a field sobriety test.
Retton reportedly refused to have her blood tested for alcohol before she was arrested.
Following the incident, it was reported Retton's family was worried about her safety as she appeared to have "vanished." Family members claimed they had not seen or heard from the mother-of-four since her arrest on May 17.
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Wine was found in Retton's car after she was arrested.
However, Retton's attorney, Edmund J. Rollo, was quick to shut down the claims in a blistering statement, calling the report "grossly inaccurate."
He explained: "This report did not originate from Mary Lou's family, as the article stated. "Mary Lou is in good spirits, and she is very appreciative of all of the support she has received."
