Olympic swimming champion Stephanie Rice has announced she has found love with a pastor and father-of-three.
The 36-year-old former swimmer, who is currently living in Dubai, has announced she is now in a long-distance relationship with Mark Lassey, who lives in Australia.
“When we met almost five months ago, we both knew this was different!” Rice posted on social media, alongside a photo of the couple.
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“Because of the complexities of our lives we wanted to keep these first few months between close family and friends and enjoy the wonder of falling in love.”
Rice explained a mutual friend had put them in touch with each other.
“But as God would have it, that first phone conversation made us feel like this was exactly where we were both meant to end up,” she wrote.
“Since then, we’ve been so blessed that our work has taken us around the world, allowing us to spend a few days together either side of our commitments, hanging out in different cities, meeting each other’s friends and family, and discovering what a life together will look like.
“Living halfway across the world from each other in different time zones has had its challenges (thank God for Zoom) but God has been so good and so present in every step of our journey, which gives us an unwavering faith that our future will be even more extraordinary through Him.”
Rice, a committed Christian, has attended the Kingdom City Church in Dubai since moving there.
Lassey is a pastor in the same organisation but based in Perth.
According to his Instagram profile, he has three sons: Tyler, Joel and Luke.
Rice’s move to Dubai hasn’t been easy. After she spoke openly on Instagram about her decision to move, she received a barrage of hateful comments.
“We’ve all been broken at some point, some more than others … but never let that dampen your ability to shine love out into the world and onto others,” Rice wrote in reply at the time.
“I see the negative comments on my recent posts, but what I feel is the hurt that must be behind those comments.
“My commitment to God is a new walk for me: I have fears, I have doubts, I have concerns … but I also know that the way I was moving through life before is not how I want to go forward.
“This year has been incredibly challenging and at many times I’ve felt broken, but God has given me the gift of his trust in me, his faith in me, and his love for me.
“So, to those struggling: stand strong, walk proud, you’ve come so far. Honour your journey, wounds and all — it’s made you into the beautiful soul you are today.”