After weeks of rumors, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is setting the record straight on his sudden divorce from Kayla Rae Reid and his unexpected romance with a kindergarten teacher.
The 40-year-old opened up about heartbreak, healing, and how his new relationship bloomed only after his marriage ended.
Lochte also had a message for the critics.
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Ryan Lochte’s Life With Molly Gillihan
Lochte has officially moved on, and he’s not hiding it.
The Olympic gold medalist is now dating Molly Gillihan, a 37-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of three from Gainesville, Florida.
“Molly is true to herself. She has a big heart. She’s a kindergarten teacher so she has the patience of a freaking saint,” Lochte told the Daily Mail. “It’s awesome being with her. We’re just living our best lives and having fun.”
The couple met during school drop-offs.
Two of Gillihan’s kids attend the same school as two of Lochte’s children, Caiden, 8, and Liv, 6.
Lochte was immediately drawn to Gillihan’s warmth and calm nature.
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Ryan Lochte Shuts Down Cheating Rumors
Rumors swirled that Lochte had strayed during his marriage, but the swimmer insists those claims couldn’t be further from the truth.
“There was no infidelity with Molly, like nothing,” Lochte emphasized. “Molly didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t pursue me, I pursued her.”
He stressed that his relationship with Gillihan began after he was served divorce papers, noting, “It was after I got served with the divorce papers. I was out of the house and living by myself. It was all after the fact.”
His ex-wife, Kayla Rae Reid, filed for divorce in March, calling their marriage of seven years “irretrievably broken.”
While she posted cryptic Instagram messages about “trials we didn’t choose or see coming,” Lochte believes the narrative is being twisted.
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“Kayla has blocked me on social media,” he revealed. “She’s the one that wanted this divorce in the first place and now she’s playing this pity party.”
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Molly Gillihan Speaks Out
Gillihan, who finalized her own divorce last year, said she wasn’t interested in fame or headlines, just the man she got to know.
“He pursued me some time after Kayla served him with divorce papers, and he was living on his own,” she said. “Seeing how great of a dad he was is what attracted me to him.”
She admitted she doesn’t know much about Lochte’s past in swimming, but his parenting sealed the deal.
“I do not know much about his history in swimming, but when I saw how he was with his kiddos, I decided to give him a chance.”
The pair spent July 4th at Lochte’s brother Devon’s home in Daytona Beach, where Gillihan bonded with the family, including painting nails with Lochte’s niece, Isla.
“My family loves Molly,” Lochte said. “We have nothing to hide—why hide happiness?”
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Ryan Lochte Reflects On His Past And Future
Despite outward appearances, Lochte says his marriage had been unraveling for years.
“What people don’t really realize is that me and my ex haven’t really been together for a very long time, basically, since my littlest girl was born, which was around two years ago,” he shared. “We had been having complications for a long time, so it was an easy transition for us to divorce and live our own lives.”
Still, he holds no bitterness toward Kayla. He said, “Kayla is the mother of my children. I’ll always love her, but I’m not in love with her. I wish her the best, and I hope she can wish the best for me, too.”
Lochte, now coaching and focusing on business, remains committed to one thing above all: his kids.
“One thing I will not do is leave my kids,” he vowed. “I’ll always be part of their lives.”
Lochte Allegedly Struggled With Infidelity
Ryan Lochte’s comments came a few weeks after a family source told PEOPLE that the swimmer repeatedly betrayed his ex-wife, Reid, whom he married in 2018, throughout their marriage.
The insider claimed, “He’s damaged so much of their marriage and he’s broken her heart so many times that she doesn’t know if reconciliation is in their future.”
They also revealed that Lochte allegedly struggled with infidelity, but Reid chose not to disclose it to protect him.
According to the source, Reid protected Lochte’s relationship for years, hoping it would improve.
“It just got so bad that she actually felt like, by leaving, he’ll have to be court-mandated to get help, essentially. And that’s all she wants,” the source said, “is for him to be healthy and him to be well.”
