"Yes to a lifetime with you": Olympic champ's joyous news
Stephanie Rice has announced her engagement to her boyfriend Mark Lassey after just seven months of dating
The three-time Australian Olympic gold medallist took to Instagram on Thursday to confirm the news, just weeks after first going public with her relationship in July.
She shared a series of photos of the moment the father-of-three popped the question at Dubai's luxury Atlantis The Royal hotel.
"Here's to fresh starts and second chances," Rice said in the caption.
"Yes to a lifetime with you," she continued, adding the bible verse Psalm 37:4 underneath it.
In one photo the couple looked lovingly at each other as Rice showed off her diamond ring.
The former Olympic swimmer looked glamorous in a white floral dress and strappy heels during the picture-perfect outdoor hotel proposal.
Lassey looked dapper in a white shirt, cream trousers and a black blazer.
The pair first met through a mutual friend and were initially hesitant about each other, but it didn't take long for them to forge a close bond.
While their relationship had its challenges, mainly being long-distance, with Rice living in her current home of Dubai, they are very excited for their future together.
"Living halfway across the world from each other in different time zones has had its challenges (thank god for Zoom) but God has been so good and so present in every step of our journey, which gives us an unwavering faith that our future will be even more extraordinary through Him," Rice wrote.
The pair kept their relationship under wraps for five months before debuting it on social media in July.
In another social media post, Lassey gushed about Rice, saying that "she is the most encouraging person".
"Never cynical, never sarcastic, always thinking the best of people and speaking it out."
The pair are yet to announce when and where their wedding will take place.
Images: Instagram