‘Lost my mind’: Stephanie Rice reveals fears she joined a ‘cult’

Stephanie Rice has shared eye-opening details about her family’s fear that she had “lost her mind” before marrying her pastor husband.

Aussie swimming champ Stephanie Rice has shared details about her family’s fear she had joined a “cult” before marrying her pastor husband Mark Lassey.

The 36-year-old Olympic legend has in recent years openly shared her Christianity journey with followers on social media — but she has now revealed another side of the challenges she has faced since flipping her life on its head.

Earlier this month, the three-time Olympic gold medallist shared photos of the beautiful moment she tied the knot with Lassey in her dream wedding.

After getting married in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony, the couple celebrated their nuptials for a second time on a Perth rooftop in front of family and friends.

The adorable pair celebrated their special day just 10 months after they began seeing each other.

They have been having plenty of fun on their honeymoon. Rice shared photos of their time together in the Maldives and on Friday night she shared more photos of their time together in Paris.

Steph Rice living her best life on honeymoon. Photo: Instagram.

Steph Rice living her best life on honeymoon. Photo: Instagram.

Lassey, a 46-year-old pastor, who is also the father of three children, popped the question in September and they needed only four months to get Rice ready to walk down the aisle.

The loved-up couple began their relationship when living on opposite sides of the world with Rice living in Dubai after moving to the United Arab Emirates in December, 2023.

The former SAS: Australia contestant was attempting to pull herself out of a dark place following the end of her swimming career.

By the end of 2023, Rice found herself turning to her sister in an attempt to bring joy back to her life, with her sibling suggesting she attend a church service with her, PerthNow reports.

“I was like, I don’t know if faith is the answer, I had no idea, but I knew it wasn’t what I was doing so I was open to trying something else,” she told The Courier-Mail’s QWeekend.

“I was really ignorant of it, like I was not an avid supporter,” she says.

Despite saying she found the Catholic Church “boring” as a child, the then down-and-out swimmer found a new sense of belonging in religion, quickly throwing herself in “100 per cent”.

It’s a decision she says “saved” her life. After finding her new faith, Rice found her new husband and work opportunities to go with it.

Although Rice’s sister Courtney introduced her to a new church, Citipointe, she says some of her family don’t “understand”.

“A lot of people thought I’d lost my mind or fallen under some cult or something and that’s fine,” she said.

For the sceptic or those who may think Rice has entered “a cult”, she has one question: “Aren’t you happy for me that I’m in a good place?”

It wasn’t always so.

Rice has bravely shared her previous struggles with her mental health, telling QWeekend she “couldn’t see any way forward”.

She is no longer that same person, recently celebrating multiple life milestones, including finishing her MBA and getting married.

Reflecting on the wonderful moments, Rice said: “If you would’ve told me a year ago that I would be... married, living in Dubai with great work opportunities, I would most likely have questioned it … that is so far away from where I was at that time.

The couple looking stunning on their wedding day. Photo: Novare Weddings

They celebrated with a second wedding. Photo: Instagram.

“Me, a year ago, wasn’t looking forward to anything because I was scared it would be yet another disappointment.”

Since finishing her career, Rice has spent time in Australia, the United States and India seeking to find her place in life personally and professionally.

However, COVID, and the years that followed, brought the Olympian to her darkest days.

After 2016, when Rice worked on the Rio Olympics, she spent time growing her personal brand in India. She presented on TV coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League and had plans to help Indians learn to swim.

However, the 2020 locking down of the world due to a global pandemic, put those dreams on the shelf, no longer appearing viable.

She returned to Australia to try and reboot her career on Aussie soil, but faced continuous setbacks from contracts not eventuating.

“I feel like you get one disappointment and another one and another one and after a while you stop thinking things are going to work out,” she said.

“I couldn’t see a way forward.”

That was before her sister’s invitation to attend a church service changed everything for her.

Rice, whose husband was a pastor at Kingdomcity in Perth, will soon live together for the first time when Mr Lassey moves to Dubai.

Stephanie Rice with Mark Lassey at Sandalford Wines in Western Australia. Pic: Instagram.

Visiting Perth in July last year, Rice met Mr Lassey’s three sons when they enjoyed an evening together in Leederville after meeting five months earlier.

The pastor proposed at Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal in September, but not before securing the perfect engagement ring.

In a bid to impress the Olympic triple gold medallist, Mr Lassey recruited Perth CBD’s Charles Edward Jewellers after meeting their CEO through church.

Settling on an “individually crafted” white gold band, the sparkling piece features an imposing centre stone framed by eight diamonds on each side.

It was a one of one design that we had the opportunity of developing together step by step and that was really important to Steph and to me,” Mr Lassey told The West Australian in September.

The couple tied the knot at Sandalford Wines in the Swan Valley earlier this month surrounded by friends and family.

Never too far from the water, Rice enjoyed a beachy Maldives honeymoon alongside her husband which she described as “absolute bliss”.

Embarking on their new life together, Rice brings her new MBA from University of Queensland which she plans to use as she enters the eSports world further. However, with Rice’s hope to expand the family, the splashing of baby swimmers feet may not be too far away.

“We would love to (have a family) if that’s something we’re able to do,” she said.

“Mark has three kids so if he didn’t want to have any more kids that would’ve been a really hard thing for me to weigh up because I’ve always wanted to be a mum.”

— with PerthNow

Originally published as ‘Lost my mind’: Stephanie Rice reveals fears she joined a ‘cult’