Stephanie Rice goes public with relationship news

Australian Olympic champion Stephanie Rice has shared a major twist to her new life with photos showing a new relationship.

Stephanie Rice has gone public with a new romantic relationship.

The Aussie swimming champion on Boxing Day shared a series of loved-up photos of herself and a man she knows through a church connection.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist earlier this month shocked fans with an announcement she has moved to Dubai and has no plans to return to Australia.

She earlier opened up to her Instagram followers about her Christian faith and why it has been the catalyst for her decision to start a new life overseas.

Just a few weeks later, Rice has shared photos on her Instagram account showing her enjoying the Christmas period holidaying with the same man in New York.

The photos show the 35-year-old sharing a kiss with her new man.

“I never would have expected the year to end this way!!” Rice wrote.

Steph Rice snuggles up with her 'new love'. Photo: Instagram, @itsstephrice.

Steph Rice beams during a selfie. Photo: Instagram, @itsstephrice.

“Giving my life to God, following his call to move my life to Dubai, meeting you on my first week at church in Brisbane and spending our first Christmas together in New York.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this. You just have to keep faith in his plan and in his timing.

“God is so so good and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for 2024.”

Rice also shared videos on her Instagram stories showing her holiday in the United States included a road trip and a train journey through the picturesque Colorado Rockies.

Another video shows the pair driving in a car together while listening to worship music.

It shows Rice is ending her year of turbulence in happy fashion.

She admitted earlier this month she agonised over the decision to leave Australia.

Rice had never previously spoken publicly about her plans and didn’t mention it once during filming of this year’s SAS Australia season where she was forced to quit as a result of serious injury.

Rice was in tears on the show as she detailed her relationship record in a heartbreaking interview where she also opened up on her mental struggles since finishing her athletic career.

Steph Rice's love life has previously made headlines. Photo: Channel 7 and Facebook.

“It’s harder,” she said when asked about having personal relationships as a high profile figure.

“I think it’d be nice to have somebody to go through the harder times.

“I would love to have somebody to help through, like ride the waves.”

She said there was “not a lot” for her to go home to after filming of the show wrapped up.

Rice’s love life has previously made headlines around the world.

After splitting from Aussie swimming great Eamonn Sullivan following the Beijing Olympics, rumours spread Rice had been romantically linked with Michael Phelps, former NRL winger David “Wolfman” Williams and Aussie swimming bad boy Nic D’Arcy.

Rice said on Instagram recently she landed in Dubai with no set plan of what would come next.

Steph Rice takes a stroll. Photo: Instagram, @itsstephrice.

“The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions, which have brought about so many wonderful changes which I’m excited to share with you as I start this new journey in Dubai,” she posted.

“I’m sure you all have a lot of questions about this move and trust that I will share it with you in due course. 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.

“Moving overseas has been something I have felt called to for so long, it just was never quite the right time…but now the time has come! I want to share this journey with you in hopes it inspires you to honour your own inner-callings and to have faith in the path ahead, even if you don’t yet know what it’s going to look like right now…cause I sure don’t!!

“I guess that’s life though right…just taking one step at a time and trusting that you will always know what to do next when you get there.”