OFF THE ICE

The athlete’s transition from skating to showbiz took some getting used to

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon opens up to In Touch about his new show, his new man and winning a bronze medal

For 20 years, competitive ice skating was all Adam Rippon knew. So when he retired from the sport after bringing home a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, he understandably felt like he was on shaky ground. “You have one goal and one focus for so long, and then everything changes,” he says. While Adam quickly became a breakout star during the Olympic games — appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and securing a spot on Season 26 of Dancing With the Stars (which he went on to win) — Adam, 29, says he needed time to adapt to his new life. “Even when things are going great, you can still have this sense of feeling lost. In some ways I feel like what I’m doing now is what I was born to do, even more than skating, but there’s a sadness because you’re saying goodbye to one chapter.” Here, the star of the new series Break the Ice, which airs weekly on his YouTube channel, talks to In Touch’s Diana Cooper about going Hollywood; his boyfriend of a little over a year, Finnish real estate broker Jussi-Pekka Kajaala; and the surprising place he keeps his medal.

How’s life treating you? AR:

I’m having a lot of fun. Everything I’m doing is totally different than my former life training for competitions. But I’m falling into it really nicely.

You said it took a while to adjust. AR:

In one month, my whole world was different. You need therapy, you need to talk about it, because it’s a lot. Change can be hard, and we all have a fear of the unknown.

Tell us about your new series! AR:

I’m bringing all the people I’ve met in the last year-and-a-half on the ice to get to know them better. It’s a great marriage of my passion for interacting with people and skating.

You’re also writing a memoir, Beautiful on the Outside, due out this fall. AR:

It’s been a form of therapy. I talk about things I went through as a kid and everything that’s happened since the Olympics. I also share a lot of funny stories.

How are things with Jussi-Pekka? AR:

He’s a great guy who my family loves and I love very much, so I feel really lucky.

Plans to tie the knot? AR:

I would like to get married in the next few years, but we’re in no rush. We’re just enjoying every day together.

What about kids? Have you thought about having children?

AR:

I have, and I thought it would be really nice to have two French bulldogs instead. [Laughs]

You were a bridesman for your DWTS partner, Jenna Johnson, at her April wedding to Val Chmerkovskiy. How was that?

AR:

It was a beautiful day. They’re two people I love so much, and they’re wonderful together. I felt blessed to be a part of it.

Where do you keep the Mirrorball trophy and your bronze medal? AR:

The trophy is on a table in my living room, because it won’t fit in a box. And the medal is in a container from the Container Store, which isn’t very glamorous! ◼