Shannon Maree Walsh was born in Hong Kong to Australian parents Julie and Christian Walsh. She graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. Until age seventeen, Shannon trained as a competitive gymnast under Ukranian national coaches Vladimir and Valentina Kovalenko. She won three all-around national gold medals before ending her gymnastics career. Within three months of quitting the sport, Shannon was cast as Melanie Pratt in Wes Craven's "My Soul to Take."