Melbourne, July 7 : Australia's glamour swimming couple Eamon Sullivan and Stephanie Rice rely on phone calls and text messages to keep their romance ticking.

The couple opened up for their first interview even as they put everything aside to concentrate on the Beijing Olympics.

And while Sullivan admits that theirs is not the 'ideal dating situation', he's quick to point out that it works for them.

"It's not your normal dating situation but it works for us especially with our focus now being on the Games," the Courier Mail quoted him, as saying.

Adds Rice: "I think we are both cheeky people and we love having fun together but we also respect the fact we are individuals and have our own set of goals."

The couple recently stripped to their undies as they became the new faces and bodies of underwear giant Davenport in a six-figure deal.

ANI