Olympians Then and Now: Katarina Witt

Thirty-five thousand love letters?

''That's a little exaggerated,'' figure skater Katarina Witt said recently. ''No, no, it was never that many. But I was only 18, such an exciting time, it was the first time I realized how much American audiences loved me. Growing up in East Germany, you don't know stardom. There is no celebrity status to get into. Getting letters from America was so exciting, even marriage proposals.''

Witt, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, might be the sexiest woman ever to grace the Olympic stage. At least that's what former East German dictator Erich Honeker must have thought, since he had his secret police, the Stasi, keep an eye on Witt almost 24 hours a day. Not only did they keep track of her lovers, but also the length of her sexual encounters.

''You grow up with it, knowing somehow you are always under someone else's control,'' Witt said. ''But I was absolutely in shock once I found out how much I was under surveillance. What I think now of the life I lived there is that that was just part of it.''

Witt won gold medals at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics and the 1988 Calgary Olympics. In Calgary, she won a ''Battle of the Carmens'' against U.S. skater Debi Thomas. Each woman picked Carmen as the music for her long program. Witt became the first female figure skater to win consecutive gold medals since the legendary Sonja Henie in 1928, 1932 and 1936.

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Witt was faced for the first time with making her own decisions about her life and career.

''I cannot make any complaints, since I grew up in a country that supported my sport and I was able to live out my dreams,'' she said. ''But there were definitely a lot of things I couldn't do the way I wanted. When the wall came down, I had to learn how to take life in hand and make my own decisions. Before, there was always someone who would say 'You can' or 'You can't.' Now, there still is - business people all tell you what to do!''

Since turning professional, Witt has toured with several companies and productions and has been busy as an actress.

She appeared on the Stars on Ice tour from 1994 through 1997 and rejoined the tour this year. In between, she had small parts in the films ''Jerry Maguire'' and ''Ronin'' and the HBO series ''Arliss.''

Witt tried for days to think of what she would say when she met Robert DeNiro on the set of ''Ronin.''

''What do you say? 'I loved all your movies'?'' Witt said. ''You definitely get intimidated because he is such a big star. Then I saw him, and all I said was 'Wow!' He's really a great guy, just an amazing actor. I loved watching him prepare.''

Witt won an Emmy in 1990 for her performance in the title role of HBO's TV movie ''Carmen on Ice.'' In 1991 and 1992, she was named one of People magazine's ''50 Most Beautiful People in the World.''

At the Salt Lake Olympics, she will take time away from the 61-city Stars on Ice tour to work as a figure skating commentator for German television.

''I do still pay very much attention (to the amateurs), and the quality of it now is just amazing,'' Witt said. ''It should be a great competition, with Michelle (Kwan) and Irina (Slutskaya).''

OLYMPIC PROFILE: KATARINA WITT

Age: 36.

Residence: Berlin and Los Angeles.

Current occupation: Star of Stars on Ice professional figure skating tour; actress.

Family: Single.