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Charlie White Asthma Diagnosis: 'DWTS' Contestant Has Been Suffering From Asthma Since He Was A Baby

By Lindsay Cronin l.cronin@celebeat.com | May 09, 2014 02:24 PM EDT

Charlie White has reportedly been struggling with asthma since he was a baby.

In a new interview, the Olympian and current competitor on Dancing With The Stars is opening up about his ongoing battle with the chronic lung disease. 

"I've always had to train harder than others to get the oxygen to my muscles because of my lung capacity," White explained to PEOPLE Magazine on May 7. "I have to push myself past the point of being comfortable."

Since childhood, White and his parents have struggled to manage the illness, which is known to worsen in cold weather. And although White is prescribed an inhaler, it wasn't always helpful when it came to his figure skating career. In fact, at times, it made the sport more difficult.

"When you use the inhaler it has a little bit of synthetic adrenaline in it, and it kind of gets you going. But in a sport like figure skating where you want to be very under control, you have to find a great balance between being able to breathe enough and feeling like you're yourself," White revealed.

Luckily, after a rocky start with the medication, his doctor eventually discovered a different solution which has been more effective for White.

"My doctor was able to find the correct medication for me to help me stay relaxed and calm, but at the same time be able to perform at my peak," he said.

While at his peak, White and his partner Meryl Davis captured the first American gold medal for ice dancing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, the award didn't come easy.

Before he was able to compete, White had to get a "therapeutic usage exemption form" to prove that he had asthma, and even after he did so, he was regularly tested to ensure that he was taking the prescribed dosage.

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