Ian Thorpe’s friends fear swimmer will be shattered if new relationship founders
FRIENDS of Ian Thorpe are concerned the Olympic hero may be headed for heartbreak with his new boyfriend, swimwear model Ryan Channing.
Confidential
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FRIENDS of Ian Thorpe are concerned the Olympic hero may be headed for heartbreak with his new boyfriend, swimwear model Ryan Channing.
A few weeks into their budding relationship, the first local romance for Thorpe since he came out in 2014, those close to the swimmer have expressed concern following a sudden influx of photographs of the new couple.
Chief among their fears is that in Channing, Thorpe has found a partner infinitely more worldly than he — a trait that would usually be a positive if Thorpe hadn’t proven himself such a private person.
As new pictures emerged of the couple kissing poolside in Sydney this week, one friend said of Thorpe, 33, that although he is a grown man, he remains a bit of a “babe in the woods” concerning gay dating rituals.
“Thorpie is a bit naive and Sydney’s gay scene is certainly not for the faint-hearted,” the friend said.
Since the new romance was exposed at the weekend after Channing posted photographs of the two men cuddling on social media, the 26-year-old model has been revealed as a young man with more than a few high-profile connections.
Among them is singer Samantha Jade, fashion designer Adrian Norris and Sunrise EP Michael Pell. One of Channing’s closest friends and ex-partners, Oliver Barry, also had a close encounter with sometime Queen frontman Adam Lambert.
Thorpe too, has been linked to men more famous than he — notably Ricky Martin, although a relationship was denied.
“Ian is old enough to make his own decisions and those closest to him absolutely support his lifestyle. We love him,” the friend added.
“We just know that some people will see him as, well, a different sort of conquest.
“For now he’s very happy and his happiness is paramount. We just hope he gets as much out of this as Ryan does.
“Straight or gay, a new love affair doesn’t always have a happy ending, and a very public break-up, if that’s where this ends one day, will be harder for Ian than for most.”
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