Swapping competing at the Olympics for OnlyFans is probably as drastic of a career change as you can get, but the adult platform has proved to be a vital lifeline for this athlete.
British former short track speed skater Elise Christie, who has represented the country three times on the world's biggest sporting stage, is now going for gold on the X-rated website rather than chasing glory at the Olympic Games.
The 33-year-old, from Livingston, Scotland, credits her venture with 'saving her life' and rescuing her from financial despair after her retirement in December 2021.
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It came after Christie, a ten times a European gold medallist, crashed out of all three of her races at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and sustained an ankle injury which prevented her from qualifying for a 2022 bid in Beijing.
The Team GB alum competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver too, as well as the 2014 Games in Russia, but failed to bag a spot on the podium.
She previously said that a 'part of her heart will always be missing' due to her lack of success at the Olympics, but she had no idea of the hardship she was about to face while navigating her life after stepping away from skating.
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Speaking to The Nottingham Post, Christie explained that she was left to her own devices after her dreams of a gold medal were dashed - which is pretty difficult for someone who has dedicated their whole life to a sport.
Christie said of her drastic lifestyle change post-retirement: "I went from being someone who won medals under a system, to then having absolutely nothing and just being dropped out and left to understand life."
She found herself juggling three jobs to try and make ends meet, while she also ended up sleeping in her car a lot after losing her home.
Despite having plenty of other awards and accolades under her belt, the Scot revealed that she ended up in a 'dark place' when her career suddenly came to a stop - until she decided to enter the world of adult content.
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Christie continued: "I felt like, how did I go from being a world champion to just having nothing?
"I've probably been on [OnlyFans] a year and a half or so now, and gradually over that time I learnt more about its uses and engagement," she explained.
"I was getting more comfortable about what it is and being open about it, as initially I was very closed off with it.
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" [OnlyFans] brought me back from a really dark place, and I now use it positively."
The mum tells her subscribers to 'prepare to be teased, tantalised, and perhaps even a little surprised' by her content on the site, which she promises is always 'spontaneous and exhilarating'.
Discussing how she interacts with punters, Christie said: "A lot of people just use it to engage with me and my life, learn more about it and what went on and question me about sport and fitness.
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"I use it as engagement for fans that have been with me for a long time," the skater said.
"Once you are using it in the way that you are comfortable with, you’re not forced into things or doing things you don’t want to do, you can use it in the way you want to use it.
"I have had a lot of negativity as well, but at the end of the day, it kind of saved my life at one point as I had nothing."
Christie said OnlyFans has allowed her to earn a 'stable' and 'reliable' income.
She added: "I would never have got to this place without OnlyFans, because working the three jobs, I just didn't have a life. I had been left with no life basically from being this skater."
She's not the only Brit Olympian to give OnlyFans a go either - as diver Jack Laugher, 29, who is competing at Paris 2024, is also signed up to it, while his teammates Noah Williams, 24, Daniel Goodfellow, 27, and Matty Lee, 26, have too.
Topics: Olympics, OnlyFans, Sport, Winter Olympics, UK News
Olivia Burke