💔 “I Was Scared to Date”: 25-Year-Old Shauna Rae Opens Up About Dating While Living in a Child’s Body

Shauna Rae Lesick might be 25, but she’s often mistaken for a child — and it’s made her love life uniquely complicated… and sometimes frightening.

The I Am Shauna Rae star, known from the hit TLC reality series, recently opened up on The Unplanned Podcast about the emotional toll of navigating dating while looking like she’s 8 years old. Due to a childhood battle with brain cancer and the aggressive treatment that saved her life, Shauna’s growth was permanently stunted. Today, she stands just 3 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 50 pounds.

💬 “My parents warned me from a young age,” Shauna shared. “They said, ‘You have to be careful. Some people might only be interested in you because you look the way you do.’ That terrified me.”

She admits the fear held her back for years.

“I was scared to date. Scared to flirt. Scared to even be asked out,” she said. “Once, a boy asked me out in the cafeteria at school—and I straight-up asked him if he was a predator.”

Shauna’s story has resonated with viewers who admire her honesty and bravery. And while she’s now in a happy relationship, she’s careful to keep her partner out of the public eye for privacy and safety.

Her parents, she says, gave her advice that stuck:

“Find someone you can build a bond with at your core—before anything else.”

✨ Despite all the challenges, Shauna continues to live life on her own terms, inspiring others to trust their instincts, set boundaries, and never settle.