Stephanie Rice announces major change ahead of upcoming wedding

Stephanie Rice has announced a major move ahead of her upcoming wedding - she is moving back to Australia.

The former Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist shared the news on social media.

"Packed up my stuff in Dubai, put it all in storage, packed 2 suitcases and headed for Australia to finish my Master's degree and get married… so wild to think about!!" she shared on Instagram Stories.

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"God has done a complete 180 on my life this year and I'm the happiest I've ever been," the recently converted Christian said. "He is so good. He is so kind."

In the photo Rice is standing in a lift dressed in white leisure wear, with suitcases and boxes in front of her.

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Rice was based in Dubai when she met Perth-based Mark Lassey. The couple were maintaining a long-distance relationship head of their engagement in September 2023.

With their wedding planned for later this year, Rice is moving back to Australia to complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Queensland Business School.

She is also focused on planning her big day.

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Rice and Lassey confirmed their relationship in July, with the former swimmer sharing photos of their special moments on social media.

Lassey proposed to Rice at Dubai's luxury Atlantis The Royal Hotel.

"Here's to fresh starts and second chances… Yes to a lifetime with you," Rice wrote, adding the bible verse: "'Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire.'' ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬.''

Massy is a pastor at Kingdom City church in Perth. The couple were reportedly introduced by a mutual friend.

"When we met almost 5 months ago, we both knew this was different,' she said in an earlier post.

"From the start, there was a deep intentionally between us, and because of the complexities of our lives we wanted to keep these first few months between close family and friends, and enjoy the wonder of falling in love," Rice continued.

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"But as God would have it, that first phone conversation made us feel like this was exactly where we were both meant to end up," she added.

Rice was born and raised in Brisbane. She won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2009.

Rice retired from swimming in 2014.

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