Around the age of 14, she was admitted to hospital in the early 1970s and needed her gall bladder removed due to eating too much greasy food, leaving her weak and unable to train during the winter of 1971–1972.

Born in June 1957,[1] Shatto began roller skating at the age of 2 and later took up acrobatics, modern dance and learnt to play the violin.

[4] At the age of 9, she practised 33 feet (10 m) platform diving at the open-air pool in Summerville, occasionally being blown by wind from the tower due to its location near the edge of Lake Ontario.

Having been admitted to hospital with constant stomach pains due to excessive greasy food, her gallbladder was removed which left her weak and unable to train during the winter of 1971–1972.

Alongside Linda Cuthbert, another diver living with the Webbs, Shatto trained for an hour at lunchtime and had a heavier workload on Saturdays, with a rest day on Sundays.

She even considered retiring from the sport to live a more traditional lifestyle, like her sister Becky, who was recognized as a "female athlete of the year" in high school.

After reflecting on the positive aspects of diving, including international travel and the people she had met, Shatto was offered advice by fellow diver Beverly Boys, which helped her regain her motivation and confidence.

The Montreal Gazette at the time suggested that she had been "cheated out of at least a bronze," alleging bias from the Soviet and Swedish judges, although Shatto felt that finishing fifth in the world was still an accomplishment.

[13] On the eve of the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Shatto announced her retirement from competitive diving at the age of 21, citing the "nomadic life of a world-class athlete" as being the primary factor in her loss of interest.

[14] She admitted that her Olympic controversy two years prior was a contributing factor[9] as well as losing motivation, instead preferring to get a job and earn her own money.

[9] She answered an advertisement in September 1990 for a job as a diving coach and was successful at securing the role at Binghamton University,[16] which her husband later noted had a positive effect on her.