Olympic diving champion Matthew Mitcham is engaged
Matthew Mitcham and fiancé Luke Rutherford (Instagram)
Australian Olympic diving champion Matthew Mitcham has announced his engagement to his partner Luke Rutherford.
Mitcham, who made history as one of the first openly gay athletes to win an Olympic gold medal in 2008, announced his engagement on Monday (June 3).
Matthew Mitcham and Luke Rutherford engaged after seven months
Taking to Instagram, Mitcham revealed: “He got down on both knees, I said yes, and now we’re engaged.”
His partner Luke Rutherford wrote: “He said yes I’m the luckiest man in the world. ❤️ “
Rutherford, who is British, popped the question in Henley-on-Thames, England, according to the post.
The couple celebrated their six-month anniversary in May.
Mitcham wrote at the time: “I’ve been with this funny, passionate, energetic, caring, fun-loving, handsome man for six months.
“The longest six months of my life, but mostly because of how much we’ve crammed into them. @lukeyluke8, thanks for being the Ricky Ricardo to my Lucy. ❤️”
The diver moved to the UK in March.
After retiring from diving, Matthew Mitcham launched entertainment career
Matthew Mitcham, now 31, retired from diving in 2016.
At the time, he explained: “I have achieved everything I hoped for, including the big three – Olympic gold in 2008, world number one in 2010, and Commonwealth gold in 2014 which could never have happened without all the help I’ve had along the way.
“I’ve had a really good run, and I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to do what I love for as long as I have. I look forward to still being involved in sport in one way or another, but I can’t wait to dive into this next chapter.
“I feel pretty special. I’m very, very grateful for all of my experiences in diving with all of its ups and downs and highs and lows and wins and bombs, all of it, that’s what makes an experience really three dimensional – the good stuff as well as the bad.”
Matthew Mitcham and fiancé Luke Rutherford (Instagram)
Of being a strong openly gay role model, Mitcham revealed he gets many letters from people who say he has helped them come to terms with their own sexuality.
He said: “I’ve had lots of messages like that which is really humbling. Not just from younger people but also older people … who have been keeping a deep dark secret for their entire lives, and just me being able to be who I was and compete at an Olympics as an out-and-proud athlete really inspired them to really be their authentic self.”
The retired athlete later penned a memoir, Twists and Turns, which he later adapted into a musical cabaret show, Under the Covers.
