Stephanie Rice claps back at critics after emotional ‘first class’ video

Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice has hit back after being labelled ‘out of touch’ amid a wave of online criticism over her emotional move to Dubai.

Australian Olympic swimming legend Stephanie Rice has responded to a wave of online criticism following her emotional move to Dubai.

Rice, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, faced backlash after posting a tearful video on a first-class flight, prompting accusations of being “out of touch.”

In the contentious video a visibly emotional Rice announced her decision to leave Australia for a new beginning in Dubai.

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

“Packed up my whole life 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,” Rice captioned the video.

This post, however, drew critical comments, with one user asking, “Was this your third or fourth take of the video,” and another noting, “Must be so hard getting great opportunities and flying first class”.

In response to the backlash, Rice shared another video to Instagram offering a glimpse into her life over the past 12 months, including moments of personal struggle, a number of videos of herself crying and scenes from her time on SAS Australia.

Accompanying this montage, she wrote: “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. I see the negative comments on my recent posts, but what I feel is the hurt that must be behind those comments”.

The now deeply religious 35-year-old also touched on her new-found faith in the post.

“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,” she wrote.

Stephanie Rice posts videos of herself crying to social media as she responds to online backlash on Instagram. Photo: Instagram/@itsstephrice

Stephanie Rice posts videos of herself crying to social media as she responds to online backlash on Instagram. Photo: Instagram/@itsstephrice

“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.”

The reason behind Rice’s move to Dubai remains unclear and she revealed in her original video that she was “in Dubai without a plan”.

“At this stage I have no set plans yet in Dubai which is a little scary, I just knew I needed to follow this calling from deep within,” she wrote.

The former swimmer had dropped hints of the pending move in recent weeks, posting photos of herself packing up her home in Brisbane, but the destination was kept secret until she posted the flight video.