Olympics great Stephanie Rice hits back at trolls with a VERY emotional video after they slammed her for making shock move to Dubai to restart her life
- Rice has left Australia to start over in the Middle East
- Was savaged by critics over an Instagram video of her departure
- Has now hit back in a very sincere and constructive way
Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice has used a video of some of her lowest points to respond to online trolls who targeted her for her move to start a new life in Dubai.
The champion swimmer faced the abuse when she posted an emotional clip of herself in first grade as she left Australia last week.
“Packed up my whole life (sic) in Australia, bought a one way ticket to Dubai to start a new chapter and I'm feeling all the emotions surrounding this new start… but God is good,” Rice captioned the video.
The 35-year-old's post sparked a backlash from critics.
“Was this your third or fourth take of the video,” someone commented.
“It must be so hard to get great opportunities and fly first class,” said another.
Rice's video hitting back at trolls included a clip from the emotional video she posted during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (pictured)
The gold medalist also added images of her smiling in happier times (pictured) as she shared a kind message to her haters
“Nothing says 'I'm not bragging' like filming yourself in first class on an international flight,” said a third.
On Wednesday night, Rice posted a new Instagram video with clips of her crying as she hit a low point in her life, footage from her stint on the SAS Australia reality TV show and happier moments.
The post was accompanied by the words: 'We have all been broken at times, some more than others… but never let that dampen your ability to shine love to the world and to others.
“I see the negative comments on my recent posts, but what I feel is the pain that must be behind those comments.”
Rice then talked about her new commitment to religion.
“My commitment to God is a new path for me, I have fears, I have doubts, I have worries… but I also know that the way I was going through life before is not the way I want to move forward,” she says. wrote.
“So to those who are struggling, be strong and walk proud, you've come this far. Honor your journey, wounds and all… it made you the beautiful soul you are today.”
Rice has started her life over by packing up her belongings and moving to Dubai (pictured)
The 35-year-old also opened up about her newfound commitment to religion in the post, saying: 'The way I was going through life before is not how I want to move forward'
The post received an overwhelmingly positive response from her followers on Instagram.
The Olympic gold medalist appeared on Channel 7's SAS Australia earlier this year, where she spoke about her struggles since retiring from swimming.
“I felt really lost after I finished swimming,” she said.
'I didn't feel like I had a purpose or direction and that no one understood.
“I felt like I hadn't trained for anything since I finished competing. It felt like I didn't really have a goal to work towards, one specific thing.”
She previously revealed she suffered from anxiety and depression which left her feeling 'lost and confused', with the condition worsening when a major swimming competition took place.