Payne pleased with hanging up goggles at right time

Whereas life was previously dictated by training routines and regular physio visits, the 29-year-old has stepped firmly away from the pool, with ski trips, a move to London and the simple pleasures of not setting an early alarm for training.

Payne dedicated her life to swimming, representing Great Britain for over 12 years after first making her debut in 2004.

She started off in the pool before breaking new ground for English open water swimming, becoming the first female Olympic medallist with silver in the 10km open water event at Beijing 2008 and securing world titles over the same distance in 2009 and 2011.

After finishing fourth at London 2012, Payne took a year out before recommitting to Rio 2016 where she again finished off the podium in eighth. But the former swimmer insists she has no regrets from her career, happy that she made the decision to retire at the right time.

"It's amazing, I get to sleep if I want to, I get to get up at 5am if I want to," said Payne, who is an ambassador for the SportsAid charity.

"It's a really different feeling not having to get up, it's not part of my routine anymore.

"I'm really enjoying it. Every day is exciting, every day is slightly different and there is lots of really fun stuff happening.

"I've been skiing, and that's something I've never been able to do before. It was amazing, I totally loved it and I'll be skiing for evermore now.

"I'm enjoying doing things I've never really been able to do before, and moving to London has been a really cool part of that.

"I haven't found it hard to adapt at all. For me, retirement has always been part of the process.

"I've always had something that I knew I was stepping into after my sport and Rio for me wasn't about ‘one last push'. It was about the process and trying to be the best open water swimmer standing on that pontoon before I dived in.

"That was what the last four years has been all about – making the most of every opportunity.

"I pretty much knew before Rio that it was going to be it. I was getting a little older, I was having to see a physio pretty much every week, and I knew I couldn't do that for another four years.

"Having taken a year out after London 2012 to prepare for retirement, I knew that Rio would probably be the end of my Olympic career.

"But as soon as I touched the wall in Rio, I knew that was it." Sportsbeat 2017