It’s been nearly 10 months of non-stop work for Olympic medalistAdam Ripponand he’s finally about to enjoy his first vacation — with boyfriendJussi-Pekka “JP” Kajaala, a Finnish real estate broker.
Rippon, 29, tells PEOPLE it’ll be his “first real leisurely trip” since the2018 Winter Olympicsin South Korea in February.
He’s said yes to all kinds of opportunities since:Appearing as a judgeonDancing with the Stars: Juniors, guestingonWill & Grace, speaking out about political causes he values and notching magazine cover after magazine cover. (Most recently he earned a spot onForbes’ “30 Under 30” list.)
The upcoming break is much-needed. With no Thanksgiving to celebrate in Finland, Rippon and Kajaala — who first met on Tinder last year — plan to keep things low-key during his roughly 10-day stay. It will also be the first time Rippon gets to meet Kajaala’s family.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he says of the trip. “Thank God for the holidays.”
Adam Rippon/Instagram
This week, Rippon confirmedhe will not be returning to competitive skatingand, wry as ever, he’s surprised that this was a shock to anyone else.
“If you thought I was going to continue competing after the Olympics I will have a drink for you tonight because you are out of your mind crazy and I admire your optimism and love you with my full heart,”he tweeted on Tuesday.
He tells PEOPLE he’s still exploring all kinds of different projects off the ice. Busy as he is, he has had a hard time imagining slowing down.
“I think every time I started to have a little bit of downtime, I always wanted to continue working and pushing myself,” he says.
Rippon’s raised profile has also brought more visibility to his political and social activism. Since the outbreak of a series of devastating fires in California, Rippon, who lives in Los Angeles, has been sharing ways for others to send aid — telling PEOPLE, “When someone loses everything, you do feel helpless, like how can you help them? But I think any sort of act of kindness helps.”
In October,he spoke at a rallyamid the controversial confirmation hearing for now-Supreme Court JusticeBrett Kavanaugh. Weeks later,USA Todayendorsed his hypothetical run for office.
Rippon 2020?
“I’m going to hold back for a second,” he says. “Since the Olympics I’ve really loved becoming politically involved. Maybe one day I would run for office, but definitely right now, no way.”
“I think it’s really important to really continue to do my research and know my facts, so that if I want to speak about something, that I know what I’m talking about [and] I know the place that I’m coming from,” Rippon says.
Somewhere in there, he’ll spend Christmas with his family.
For 20 years he was figure skater Adam Rippon, he says. Now he can be so many other things.
He says, “I am trying to find things to entertain in a way that’s off of the ice.”
source: people.com
