Ian Thorpe’s ex boyfriend dies
<p dir="ltr">Ian Thorpe’s first boyfriend after coming out has died after battling severe health issues.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ryan Channing, a model, lawyer and skincare brand creator from Perth, was at Bali’s BIMC Hospital on May 8 where he died.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The 32-year-old’s friends confirmed the heartbreaking news to <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/former-fiance-of-olympic-swimmer-ian-thorpe-ryan-channing-dies-suddenly-in-bali/news-story/15ee73f749abe38b31d10e1b140b7937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a> on Wednesday.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Everyone is distraught. It is just so sad and everyone is shocked,” a friend told the publication.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The friend revealed that Channing had been “battling health issues” for a while. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Channing’s last Instagram post was of him at St Vincent’s Hospital after contracting Covid-19.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Covid got me GEWD. Thanks to the amazing nurses at @stvincentshospitalsydney,” his caption read with a selfie holding up the peace sign.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It however remains unclear whether or not Covid contributed to his death.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A representative for Ian Thorpe said “thoughts are with Ryan’s family”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The skincare entrepreneur was Thorpe’s first boyfriend after he came out back in 2015.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The pair were in an on-off relationship for about four years and were also engaged at one point before breaking it off completely in 2019. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>
