Shawn Johnson and Andrew East Insist Their Marriage Isn't a Perfect 10

Shawn Johnson East Gets Tattoo Tribute For All 3 Kids!

Not long after their second date, Shawn Johnson East realized she'd struck gold with NFL long snapper Andrew East. 

Sure, it took nine long months after his older brother Guy East, a cyclist on the U.S. national team, first arranged a 2012 set-up in Los Angeles—where the Olympic gymnast was cha-cha-ing her way to second place on the all-star edition of Dancing With the Stars—to see each other again.

But once Shawn agreed to fly to Nashville to visit the Vanderbilt University standout for what turned into a four-day second date, "I fell head over heels," the 34-year-old to E! News in a 2023 interview. "I was like, 'Yeah, I could see myself with this guy.'" 

As for East, 34, he'd sent multiple follow-up texts after that first blind date for a reason. "I probably fell in love before she did," he said.

And he's comfortable in that, sharing during their joint appearance on last year's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test that being married to the Olympic champion meant his "ego has never had a chance to shine." Joked the football player, "It is always like, 'You’re Shawn’s husband, right?'" 

Which, he's fine with. Truly. 

"We were in relationships where we found ourselves morphing to become the person that the other person wanted," Shawn explained. "And it got exhausting. So we just cut straight through it. We were like, we're going to give it our best shot and if either of us don't vibe to it, that's fine."

Spoiler alert: The vibes were good.

Four months after the impromptu marathon date, Shawn was relocating to Tennessee, where the married pair of seven years now live with daughter Drew, 6, and sons Jett, 4, and Bear, 2.

Andrew said he was drawn to her thoughtfulness, her humble nature and the smile that "gets me every time." For Shawn, it was the fact that she could let her ponytail down, so to speak.

"I was such a perfectionist people-pleaser, I felt like I couldn't be myself out in the world," she recalled. "And Andrew was so full of life and couldn't care less and I felt like I could truly be myself around him." 

Continued the athlete, "He made me feel like I could be more confident and I loved that. And so many things."

Together they've interviewed celeb pairs (a still-engaged Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick, Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach), relationship experts and parenting pros—and navigated their way through at least one on-air quarrel, recording a September 2022 episode titled "most common things we argue about" mid-fight.

And along the way they've amassed a tool-box-worth of strategies to strengthen their union. 

"I think that's one of my favorite things about this is we take away different little tips and tricks for our marriage after every single interview," said Johnson. "So there's a laundry list."

Among the most useful information they've gleaned is about the art of fighting fair. 

Chatting with friends and He Knows Your Name Ministry founders Steve and Linda Znachko, "They basically said whenever you have an

argument, if you're both on the same page in understanding that you're going to be married no matter what, with every argument you know how it's going to end," Shawn explained. "It changes the perspective, so you don't feel like something's on the line."

Agreed Andrew, "The ending is us still being married, and how do we just get to that point through this argument?"

Among the landmines they discussed: The particularly tricky transition into early parenthood. 

"Are we thriving or surviving at the moment?" joked Shawn. "Always just drowning."

But they've put a series of practices to help them tread water. Evening debriefs are a must, noted Andrew, even on those days "I just want to lay in bed and turn on the TV or be on my phone."

Thursday date night is also a non-negotiable. "Some days you're going to be in an argument when you go to date night, some days you're going to be so excited, but you're going on date night," he explained. "And that way it really just pushes you toward figuring it out, continuing to communicate through an argument."

With such a large portion of their lives devoted to the logistics of getting kids fed, cleaned and to-and-from school, "It is so hard right now in the middle of toddlers," admitted Shawn. "Because you're so tired and you're irritable and you don't really get to eat and it's a good mixture that causes arguments."

So, their standing date is "our time to catch up and have partner time where we get to be like, 'How are you doing? What book are you reading? What happened in the last seven days?'"

Asked to name a favorite lesson, Andrew points to a January 2021 episode with musician Drew Holcomb and his wife Ellie in which they spoke about "the fact that joy and pain go hand-in-hand a lot of times." 

"In our marriage, it's not always fun," Andrew allowed. "But working through the not fun parts is what gets you to the best parts. That's such a better way to look at difficult times: This is for a purpose and that's to get us to a better place. We're going through the valley to get to the peak of the mountain." 

Because once you've made it to the top of the podium, who really cares about the deductions you took along the way? 

Keep reading to relive their most gold medal-worthy moments.

(This story was originally published on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 at 3 a.m. PT.)