What did Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm and her reality television boyfriend Ryan Gallagher do when they visited her family in the South East last week? The glamorous couple merely “chilled out” in the warm embrace of kith and kin.

With a bare 48 hours at their disposal, they toured the Valley Lakes precinct, called at Ewens Ponds, dined at Millicent’s Somerset Hotel and worked out at the nearby Ignition Fitness gymnasium.

There were no chauffeur-driven limousines for this “A list” couple.

Seebohm and Gallagher were ferried to and from the Mount Gambier airport by their family and were content to bed down with Emily’s paternal grandparents Noel and Pat Seebohm, in Millicent.

The home of the senior Seebohms was a gathering point for the wider family over those two days with 91-year-old Noel proudly keeping the large garden and lawns in ship-shape order.

As she has lived in Queensland for almost three decades, Emily relishes the opportunity to visit her grandparents and her three aunts, their husbands and her 12 cousins.

The Millicent visit was a welcome change of pace for Emily as she has just returned from filming “The Challenge” reality television show in South Africa.

She has been in the sporting spotlight since 2007 when her swimming talent first came to the fore as a 14-year-old.

Since then, Emily has completed in four Olympic games, won multiple gold medals and been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Away from the pool, Emily has attracted further media attention by competing in such reality television shows as I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here.

It was television that first brought Ryan to national prominence as he had a starring role in the breakthrough series of Married at First Sight in 2018.

Blessed with rugged good looks, a charming manner and a keen sense of humour, Ryan has gone on to star in other reality shows and make his mark as a comedian.

The couple first met on the set of The Challenge Australia and friendship turned to romance.

Nowadays, they live together on Ryan’s farm near Goulburn in New South Wales.

After their brief time in Millicent, they are heading to a friend’s wedding in the Adelaide Hills followed by Christmas in Brisbane with Emily’s immediate family.

Next year looms as a watershed year for Emily as the 30-year-old has to weigh up whether she returns to competitive swimming and adds to her peerless record.

“That is a question which everyone is asking,” she said.

“We will be looking to have a big break from our busy lives next year.

“However, before we can do that, we will be filming a documentary in India in January where we will ride motorbikes for a week.”

While welcoming Emily into her home, Pat Seebohm is at pains to say that she has no favourite among her 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

“However, I do say that Emily is my favourite swimmer,” she said.

A framed photograph of Emily after one of her medal-winning swims holds pride of place in her home along with other family mementoes.