She was involved in a diving accident in May 1980, when upon performing a somersault, lost her balance and hit her head on the springboard, falling unconscious into the pool.

Just several months later in September 1980, Cuthbert announced her retirement from competitive diving, citing a loss of motivation and the continual problems of finding training facilities.

She also expressed how traveling around would upset her and made her sick more than usually expected, while she also felt lacking in confidence and considered herself as her "own worst enemy", suggesting that she didn't have the experience or consistency as other competitors like Beverley Boys.

The first time she traveled abroad, to the Soviet Union and Germany, she would be overcome with fear and during a trial practice, belly flopped from the high tower resulting in a temporary loss of sight, breathlessness and bruising, requiring a hospital visit and subsequent bed rest.

[2] She participated in the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in the 10-metre tower event, scoring 334.71 compared to Australian Madeleine Barnett, who finished 3rd with 339.30.

[2] That same year, she won second place at the World Junior Championships[2] In 1975, she was employed by a bank, who would provide her with additional help, allowing her time off work to undertake her intensive training.

During her dive in the 1975 games, she broke a strap in her swimsuit, which slipped to her waist and was captured by an underwater camera which broadcast the moment on Mexican national television.

[7] In 1977, she was a student at George Brown College[8] and in 1979, was one of four Canadian athletes selected by director Paul Cowan to appear in the National Film Board of Canada documentary Going the Distance, about the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.

[11] She first made the news in 1980 when voicing opposition in Canada's decision to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, saying the only people it would hurt would be the athletes.

Prior to that, she was a managing consultant with the Canadian Olympic Centre and had previously held various roles including in marketing and broadcasting.

[17] From 2006, Cuthbert sat on the Board of Directors at the Commonwealth Sport Canada, serving as its vice president and chairs the External Representation Committee, which has a responsibility towards strategy and guideline development for effectively representing the organization to outside entities.

Having dedicated most of her life to sport, she felt a duty to give back, particularly as the Commonwealth Games played a significant part during her diving career and the satisfaction in seeing young athletes achieve success.