Stephanie Rice opens up about Dubai move: 'Best thing I could have done'

Former Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice has opened up about her surprise Dubai move.

Rice shocked fans across the country when she relocated to Dubai in November 2023.

Now months later she says the move was "the best thing" she could have done.

Watch the video above.

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The athlete stopped by Today on Friday where she discussed how transformative the move has been with hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo.

Rice, who has just returned to Australia, admitted she's been "really good" of late.

"I love being back in Australia. Feeling really good now. I feel like I went through a really rough time before I moved to Dubai so feeling really great," she shared.

The three-time gold medalist then addressed her emotional time moving overseas.

After Stefanovic raised how her candid online struggle was so different to her "happy go lucky" persona from her time in sport, the star said "I feel like I'm all of that girl".

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"I'm the strong, confident, bubbly woman I am today, but I feel like I just feel everything so deeply," she said.

Rice then opened up about the move and how her "life had significantly changed".

"Moving to Dubai, it was just such a big change. I knew I needed it but I moved without a job or without knowing anyone," she explained.

On top of moving to a whole new country by herself, Rice revealed she had become Christian just three weeks prior to packing up her life in Australia.

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Despite not having "any security" it was a much-needed move for the Aussie.

Rice explained she "needed a fresh environment to kind of go through my own journey away from just the media and bits and pieces to kind of allow me that space"

The swimmer then concluded it has "been the best thing I could have done for myself".

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Rice has been documenting her life in Dubai over the last few months.

Rice revealed on Instagram in November 2023 that she had bought a one-way ticket to Dubai with no plans after going through a months-long "rollercoaster of emotions".

"I needed this move overseas more than I ever could have imagined and being back in Australia made me realise how deeply God has healed me these past 4 months," she reflected in a post months later.

A month into her move, Rice debuted a new man in her life: partner Dane Christison.

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