CE: I didn’t have much self-confidence and courage when I was young. I didn’t understand my own personality strengths until I was in my 30s. When I was a child, I had so much athletic potential and didn’t even realize it. My entire family was athletic; it seemed normal to me. Looking back, I should have trained for the Olympics as a swimmer, but as a young girl, I didn’t think I was good enough, so I didn’t push myself.

I never felt beautiful as a kid—just average. Thankfully, my achievements defined me, not my appearance. Today I still see myself as average in appearance. When I come home from a photo shoot for a magazine, I know that without the professional help from the makeup artist, hair stylist, wardrobe assistant and photographer, I’d look just okay. Steve laughs about always seeing his so-called cover girl in baggy sweats and baseball hats. 

BH: Tell us about your husband, Dr. Steve Donia.

CE: Steve is one of the finest cosmetic dentists in the United States. His work was recently featured on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover.” We met in 1992. He absolutely refused to date me until I was emotionally healed from my divorce, which was one of the toughest times in my life. I fell in love with him for his playfulness, maturity, joy of life, great morals and love of his family. Plus, he is incredibly smart, which I find so attractive. We had a double wedding with my sister Cameo and her husband, Randy Bernard, CEO of the Pro Bull Riders, in 1998. We all wore cowboy boots and jeans. Steve didn’t know anything about bodybuilding when I met him. He didn’t even know that I was in the sport. He just thought I was this really strange, weird girl who laughed uncontrollably throughout my dental office visits. We adopted our first child in 2000 from a Russian orphanage and our second in 2003. It takes a secure man to handle that experience. He was my strength throughout the process and continues to be my knight in shining armor.

BH: How has having a family changed your life?

CE: It’s slowed me down in a good way. I can and often do sit back and smell the roses. I was so directed and driven and focused while competing that it shut my eyes to other areas of joy. I now can maintain an acceptable shape with very limited exercise and more relaxed diet. I don’t need to be ripped and pumped anymore. My kids are my focus, as they are in everyone’s family. I let them watch any educational show—“Planet Earth,” the History Channel and anything they want on TV Land. I grew up with all those clean and classy shows, and I feel totally comfortable having them watch.

BH: You’ve been featured in hundreds of magazines. Tell us some things about yourself that most readers don’t know.

CE: 1) You know about the blood clot that almost killed me when I was 20, but did you know that it happened again when I was 37? 

2) I crashed my Honda 50 into a ditch with Camy on the back when I was 13 and never told my parents. 

3) I had black hair when I was born and looked like an Asian baby.

4) I hated my high cheekbones and slanted eyes in high school.

5) I beat up a boy in high school who threw an egg yolk on me.

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