Bethany Hamilton says losing arm was "easier" than being famous — Transcript

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1. 0:00Surfer Bethany Hamilton is a world-renowned athlete, but she suggested fame isn't all it's cracked up to be
2. 0:09"I always think about how losing my arm was easier than becoming famous," Hamilton, 28, told In Touch Weekly Wednesday
3. 0:18"I was like, 'I can deal with the arm—it's the fame that was so overwhelming and daunting!'"Hamilton rose to fame at a young age
4. 0:28In 2003, she made headlines after surviving an attack by a 14-foot tiger shark at the age of 13
5. 0:37She vaulted to fame after the incident, which ultimately took away her left arm and temporarily halted her surfing
6. 0:46To this day, many still refer to her by the attack. Hamilton, however, said she doesn't let it define her
7. 0:55Hamilton returned to the sport a year after her accident to compete in the National Surfing Championships
8. 1:04She later participated in 2014's Women's Pipeline Championship, which allowed her to walk away with her first-ever competition win
9. 1:13"My life is much more than just a shark attack," she told In Touch. "I've overcome a lot of other struggles
10. 1:23"Hamilton has explored opportunities outside of surfing. She's become a New York Times bestselling author, writing books like Be Unstoppable and Soul Surfer
11. 1:33She's also an entrepreneur, and created merchandise as a teenager for the accessory chain Claire's
12. 1:41Fans may remember actress AnnaSophia Robb starring as Hamilton in 2011's Soul Surfer
13. 1:50An upcoming documentary—Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable—will focus on the surfer's real-life journey
14. 1:58The film initially premiered April 20 at Tribeca Film Festival, but its theatrical release is slated for later this summer
15. 2:08See all of the best photos of the week in these slideshows"I love Soul Surfer, but Unstoppable is the real me," Hamilton told Newsweek in April
16. 2:18"It digs deeper into my adulthood journey. It almost carries on from the end of Soul Surfer and then life after that
17. 2:28It kind of touches on the earlier parts." Surfer Bethany Hamilton said it was harder dealing with fame than losing her arm
18. 2:38Here, Hamilton is pictured attending 'Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable' during 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theatre on April 20, 2018 in New York City
19. 2:48Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival