Melbourne, Mar 16 : Swimming sensation Stephanie Rice has revealed that she turned to Ian Thorpe for advice on how to deal with her rapid rise to stardom.

Rice won millions of hearts following her triumph at last year''s Beijing Games but such was the scrutiny on the young Queenslander that every aspect of her life post-Olympics became news from partying to constant speculation about boyfriends.

Melbourne, Mar 04 : Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice is currently looking after her shoulder injury to make certain that it doesn’t worsen.

Rice cut back on her butterfly training in a bid to avert aggravating an inflamed right shoulder.

However, her coach Michael Bohl is confident the problem is not serious, and will not prevent Rice from contesting her heavy program at the trials, starting in Sydney on March 17.

"It just flares up from time to time,'''' the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Melbourne, Feb 19 : Olympic golden girl Stephanie Rice is fed up of the party girl tag, and the agony is giving her an extra motivation for the upcoming championships.

The 20-year-old triple Olympic gold medallist now aims to put to rest the criticism she attracted with her performance at the world titles in Rome to be held in July.

"I haven''t been out basically since Christmas and New Year, but I continue to be called a party girl and it''s just gone too far now,'''' the Daily Telegraph quoted Rice as saying.

Melbourne, January 25 : Sport stars Stephanie Rice and Michael Clarke have stripped to their underwears for a new string of advertisements.

While the ace cricketer Clarke posed for Bonds, top swimmer Rice, joined by former beau and fellow Olympian Eamon Sullivan, endorsed Davenport.

The advertisements were said to have stepped a little over what is dubbed as bizarre, especially in Clarke''s case, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Melbourne, Jan 24 : Golden girl Stephanie Rice has revealed that she is under a constant pressure to trim down after putting on few kilos during her post-Olympic break from the pool.

The 20-year-old swimmer, who won three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last year, has been a subject of media criticism for showing off a less-toned physique.

In an interview to The Australian Women''s Weekly, Rice admits that she can never be as thin as model Miranda Kerr but still feels pressure to stay slim.

Melbourne, Jan 23 : Aussie swimming champ Stephanie Rice has revealed that she was bullied during her teenage years in school.

Rice, 20, a three times gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics last year, said that she was a victim of some nasty schoolyard pranks and hurtful teasing.

"I was bullied and picked on as a kid," the Daily Telegraph quoted her as telling the Australian Women''s Weekly.

"It started when I was about 10. I guess I was an easy target, as I had no self-confidence.