The identity of Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice’s new boyfriend has been unveiled a week after the couple soft launched their relationship on social media.
Daily Mail Australia can exclusively reveal that the man photographed kissing the cheek of the Aussie swimming champion is former soldier Dane Christison from Brisbane.
Rice, 35, recently shared a series of loved-up photos of herself and Christison, 41, on Instagram from New York, telling her followers the pair met through a church connection.
‘I never would have expected the year to end this way!!’ Rice wrote in an Instagram post.
‘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.
Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice, 35, (right) celebrated Christmas with boyfriend Dane Christison by her side during a romantic trip to New York City over the weekend
‘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 showed the pair driving in a car together while listening to worship music.
Christison previously served in East Timor (Timor–Leste) and Iraq.
Rice revealed that she met the former soldier, 41, through church
Olympics great Stephanie Rice has turned to God after her shock move to Dubai to start a new life
Christison previously served in East Timor (Timor–Leste) and Iraq
He now runs a business called Survive to Thrive Nation which coaches current and former service personnel in how to successfully transition back to civilian life.
‘We are training people to go to war but we’re not training them to come home,’ he said in a SBS Viceland documentary.
‘Why aren’t we conditioning ourselves to you know sustain trauma?’
Rice shocked fans earlier this month 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.
The loved-up couple drove through the picturesque Colorado Rockies while listening to worship music
The pair spent their first Christmas together in New York City
She shared a photo to Instagram of herself and other members of the Kingdom City church gathering for prayer.
‘I honestly never thought I would be this person turning up on prayer nights, on my own, in a new country, connecting with a community through a church,’ she wrote.
‘But here I am and gosh it is so special and has helped me feel so supported in this new home in Dubai.’
Kingdom City started in 2003 in Perth and is founded by Mark Varughese.
It has now expanded into a global movement with branches in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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