Australian swimming star Stephanie Rice has revealed she is heading back to her home country for a life-changing reason — to get married.
The Olympic gold medallist, who has been living in Dubai for 11 months, confirmed her engagement to her pastor fiancé Mark Lassey in September.
She met Perth-based Mark not long after relocating to Dubai and he popped the question at The Atlantis Royal hotel in the city after seven months of dating.
However, Stephanie revealed she is moving back to Australia to finish her Master’s degree and marry Mark, who she has been in a long-distance relationship with until now.
Stephanie, who went public with Mark in July, took to Instagram to share the exciting news as she kept her followers updated on her big life changes.
The athlete shared a mirror selfie from an elevator as she smiled alongside her packed suitcases as she headed off on her trip back to her native Australia.
She donned a comfortable white jumper paired with loose-fitting white pants, looking relaxed but excited for her new journey.
She shared in a caption: ‘Packed up my stuff in Dubai, put it all in storage, packed 2 suitcases and headed for Australia to finish my Master’s degree and get married… so wild to think about!!’
Australian swimming star Stephanie Rice has revealed she is heading back to her home country for a life-changing reason — to get married
The Olympic gold medallist, who has been living in Dubai for 11 months, confirmed her engagement to her pastor fiancé Mark Lassey (both pictured) in September
Stephanie, who recently became a Christian, expressed her gratitude for the recent changes in her life, saying God has made a significant impact on her path this year.
‘God has done a complete 180 on my life this year and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,’ she added.
She also shared her excitement for her future with her partner Mark as she ended her message by gushing: ‘He is so good.’
Last month, Stephanie confirmed the jovial news of her engagement, mere weeks after first going public with her and Mark’s romance in July.
She shared an array of sweet snaps of the moment pastor and Aussie father-of-three Mark popped the question at Dubai’s luxury Atlantis The Royal hotel.
The couple looked overjoyed as they beamed from ear-to-ear and shared a kiss, while Stephanie flashed her diamond sparkler.
She met Perth-based Mark not long after relocating to Dubai and he popped the question at The Atlantis Royal hotel in the city after seven months of dating
In a caption, Stephanie gushed: ‘Here’s to fresh starts and second chances… Yes to a lifetime with you.’
She concluded the post with a Bible verse, writing: ”’Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 37:4.’
Their engagement came just weeks after Stephanie first went public with their romance in an Instagram post at the start of July.
Stephanie had been quietly dating the Australian pastor for five months before officially confirming their romance.
They were introduced through a mutual friend and then started a long-distance romance as Mark is based in Perth while Stephanie moved to Dubai in November.
‘When we met almost 5 months ago, we both knew this was different,’ she gushed in an Instagram post alongside cosy snaps of herself and Mark.
Stephanie is moving back to Australia to finish her Master’s degree and to tie the knot with Mark, who she went public with in July (pictured during their engagement photoshoot)
‘From the start, there was a deep intentionally between us, and 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.’
‘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 continued before detailing their long-distance romance.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Stephanie joined the church when she relocated to Dubai late last year and is now heavily involved with Kingdom City.
Mark is a pastor with the same organisaton in Perth and has been with the church for more than 10 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Kingdom City started in Perth in 2003 and has since gone global with branches in Africa, Europe and Asia in addition to the Middle East.
Stephanie was previously romantically involved with former soldier Dane Christison, who she met at an Australian church.
The couple holidayed in the United States together over Christmas 2023, but she publicly announced their split just months later in May 2024.
