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Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte responded this week to his estranged wife, Kayla, seemingly suggesting there was a “betrayal” in their marriage amid their divorce proceedings.
Kayla Reid made the post on social media last month showing a slideshow of “reminders” amid their divorce. However, the former swimmer pushed back on any notion that he was unfaithful in their marriage.
“I didn’t cheat,” he told People magazine in a story published on Tuesday. “After she (Kayla) served me the divorce, I left, I got out the house, I got a new house. I was living in there by myself, I was moving on with my life tying to be happy again. I pursued her (Molly Gillihan), I asked her out. She was hesitant because she was like, ‘Aren’t you still married?’ I was like, ‘No I’m not, I’m divorced, it’s over.’
“She gave me a shot, and we hung out and, to be honest, I feel I found a best friend.”
Lochte said he “never wanted to get a divorce,” but he admitted that he and Kayla had been “unhappy for a very long time.”
Reid and Lochte revealed last month that they were set for a divorce after seven years of marriage. TMZ reported Reid filed for divorce earlier this year, a decision that came “after deep prayer and reflection,” she said.
“I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life. I’ve been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing – not from fresh, open wounds,” Reid wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Sometimes we face trials we didn’t choose or see coming. And in those moments, we’re forced to make the hardest decisions to protect our peace, our children, and our future. I’ve come to understand that staying isn’t always the most loving decision someone can make. For me, leaving was an act of love – for those around me and for myself.”
Lochte then took to Instagram, saying the decision “hasn’t been easy.”
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge what Kayla shared. This past year has brought major changes for both of us as we’ve come to the difficult decision to end our marriage. I’m deeply grateful for the life we’ve built together and especially for the love we share for our three children,” he wrote on social media.
“Although this decision hasn’t been easy, I believe it’s the right step toward peace and well-being for us both. I remain committed to healing, growth, and co-parenting with care and respect as we move forward. Thank you to our family and friends for your continued support – it truly means a lot as we begin this new chapter.”
The couple got engaged in 2016, the same year Lochte was involved in a controversial incident at a gas station during the Rio Olympics. Lochte initially claimed he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint, but it was determined those with the guns were actually security guards at a gas station where the swimmers had urinated outside a bathroom. Lochte eventually lost four major sponsorships, and USA Swimming suspended him for 10 months.
Lochte won his sixth and final medal in Rio, a gold as part of the 4×200-meter freestyle.
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