Famous Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice makes move to Dubai

A beloved Australian Olympian has officially left the country, but not before copping social media backlash.

Olympian Stephanie Rice has been lashed online after she posted an emotional Instagram video from a flight to her new home in Dubai.

The video, which appears to have been filmed in first class, shows a tearful Brisbane-born Rice shaking her head and gesturing with her arms.

“Packed up my whole live (sic) in Australia, bought a one-way ticket to Dubai to start a new chapter and I’m feeling all the emotions surrounding this fresh start … but God is good,” she captioned the video.

Stephanie Rice cries in an emotional post.

Stephanie Rice shares her journey

“Was this your third or fourth take of the video,” one person asked in the comments under the post.

While another person wrote: “Must be so hard getting great opportunities and flying first class”.

In another post shared to Facebook, the former swimmer revealed more details about her move, saying it had been a “stressful few days.”

“I’m so excited to move in tomorrow and unpack ALLL (sic) the things and get set up in a daily routine. Those daily rituals, like a morning coffee, gym, healthy breakfast, reading daily are so important to me,” she wrote.

Olympian Stephanie Rice has left fans shocked after an emotional reveal on social media announcing she’s moved to Dubai. Photo: Facebook.

“It grounds me in and brings me strength, peace, calmness, energy, focus … which I haven’t felt for a few weeks with the move, packing up life in Australia and uncertainty since landing.

“ Now that I have that step checked off I’m excited to see where God leads me next.”

Earlier this year 35-year-old Rice appeared on Channel 7’s SAS Australia, detailing her personal struggles since retiring from swimming in 2014.

“I felt really lost after I finished swimming,” she said.

“I didn’t feel like I had any purpose or any direction and I didn’t feel like anybody understood.

“I felt like I haven’t really trained for anything since I finished competing – like I haven’t really had a goal to work towards, one specific thing.”