Stephanie Rice returns from year-long absence with surprising update

Stephanie Rice has returned from a year-long break with a surprising personal update, revealing for the first time in her adult life she is without a job.

The former Olympic swimmer, 38, posted a video to her 139,000 followers explaining that her new-found freedom left her ready to share some significant life changes.

“A year ago I had a full-time corporate job, two consulting projects and two brand partnerships. Today I have no job, no projects and no partnerships... and honestly, I’m more excited than ever!′ Rice began. 

After retiring from professional swimming in 2014, the three-time Olympic gold medallist managed her own sponsorships, endorsements and motivational speaking career for years.

She completed her Master of Business Administration in 2024 and after moving to Dubai with her husband, Pastor Mark Lassey, she worked in the commercial sector for international sporting events.

Rice continued her video: “Let me bring you up to speed on what I have been up to the past 18 months, and why I have taken a year off posting.”

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The post marked the first public update Rice had given since her wedding to Lassey, 47.

“In the space of a year, I got married, had my honeymoon, moved my husband to Dubai, set up our life here... banks, rentals, visas, all of those. Honestly, last year I felt really stretched!

“I was at the top of my capacity. I really wanted to do everything well, there was so much to do... I was navigating everything in real time.”

“Since the start of the year, God has really been speaking to me about sharing again. I don’t just want to share the highlights, I want to share the real-time faith journey. The up and the downs... such a rollercoaster!” Steph said.

“Right now I have no source of income. Even though there are a lot of unknowns, I feel more excited than ever before!”

Rice added that her strong Christian faith and support from her husband helped her reconnect online and sparked a desire to share the raw and real parts of her life.

Rice married father-of-three Lassey in January 2025 after a 10-month romance.

The couple met at the start of 2024 and got engaged in September after seven months of dating.

Lassey is a father to three sons, Tyler, Joel and Luke, from a previous relationship.