Adam Rippon’s Royal Name For His Goldfish Will Make You Love Him Even More

Your favorite Olympian just got even cooler (yes, it's possible). According to HelloGiggles, during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Rippon revealed he named his goldfish Princess Diana when he was growing up. That's right, the Olympian was appreciating the British royal family long before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were preparing to exchange vows. His young royal watching ways is just one more reason why Rippon should be your favorite Olympian.

In his interview with DeGeneres, the 28-year-old revealed his other childhood goldfish had a way less royal moniker. Rippon said,

"I had a goldfish named Princess Diana. That should have been the writing on the wall for me. I also had a goldfish named "diaria”" spelled 'diarrhea.' It's a family name."

The figure skater has become something of a phenom since the Olympics. On the ice, Rippon's talent and creativity are undeniable. He may be older than most of his teammates, but Rippon earned a bronze medal in the team event and wowed crowds around the world with his routines. He also made history as the first openly gay man to compete in the Olympics for the American team. He seems keenly aware that he's officially an icon now, and he plans to continue using his platform to make a difference for LGBT+ youth.

While he's still working on what's next for his career, Rippon told DeGeneres that he will be partnering with GLAAD's Youth Engagement Program. He revealed that having more gay role models growing up would have changed his life, and he wants to make sure that happen for today's LGBT+ youth.

On The Ellen Show, Rippon said,

"When I was young, to have somebody out there that I could have looked up to, it would have made a world of difference. It would have changed my life. To have these young kids going out there and changing the world, I said, 'this is something I need to be a part of.'"

It's that level of candidacy that has made the skater one of the Olympics' most popular athletes this year. His openness and relatability have made Rippon a favorite of everyone from Reese Witherspoon and Mandy Moore to Sally Field. In fact, Field appears to appreciate the athlete's awesomeness so much that, when her son expressed an interest in him, Field turned to the internet to try and set the two men up. It's rare for an athlete's winning personality to be so charming that even celebrities are trying to make him a member of their family.

It seems the more the world gets to know Rippon, the more his fans love him. Little pieces of information like the reveal that he named his childhood goldfish after the People's Princess are downright endearing. The Olympian knows that he has an adoring fanbase, but that hasn't made him lose perspective either. He's happy to be a role model, and he wants to be one for everyone. In a post-Olympics interview, Rippon told People,

"I've gotten a lot of attention I think just for being myself. I think that a lot of people, when they come to a competition, are afraid to be themselves no matter who they are. I think one thing that I want people to come away with from this competition is that I'm not a gay icon or America's gay sweetheart — I'm just America’s sweetheart and I'm just an icon. And if you have a personality like mine, it's for everybody."

Princess Diana the fish would be so proud if she could see her pet parent now, because there's no denying that Rippon has grown up to be an athlete well-deserving of the title of America's sweetheart.