Ryan Lochte is clearing up all rumors about his relationship with his estranged wife, Kayla Reid, and his new girlfriend, Molly Gillihan.
On Monday (July 7), Lochte shared a couple of snapshots of his Fourth of July weekend, where she spent time with his mother, Gillihan, and a host of other relatives. The post caught the attention of fans since Lochte and Reid recently shared that they would be getting a divorce last month.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 12-time Olympic medalist shared that he believes Reid is trying to receive “pity” from fans and that she initiated the divorce.
“Kayla has blocked me on social media,” Lochte, 40, said. “She’s the one that wanted this divorce in the first place and now she’s playing this pity part. I want people to understand that Molly didn’t take me away from my ex-wife. She didn’t take me away from my kids.
The professional athlete shared that he hasn't been living with Reid for quite some time and insists that he did not cheat on his ex. Despite the separation from Reid, he has a priority to support his children. The couple shares three children together: Caiden, 7, Liv, 6, and Georgia, 2.
“We got a divorce and I left. I moved down the street because I wanted to be in my kids’ lives and I will always be in my kids’ lives,” Lochte continued. “There was no infidelity with Molly, like nothing. Molly didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t pursue me, I pursued her. 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.”
“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 continued. “We had been having complications for a long time so it was an easy transition for us to divorce and live our own lives.
He emphasized that he still loves Reid and will always want to be connected to his children.
“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. One thing I will not do is leave my kids and I’ll always be part of their lives.”
It's unclear when they started dating but the swimmer explained that his family is supportive of his new relationship.
“Molly is true to herself. She has a big heart,” he said. “She’s a kindergarten teacher so she has the patience of a freaking saint. It’s awesome being with her. We’re just living our best lives and having fun.”
Lochte added that he is embracing this new chapter with Gillihan.
“… We have nothing to hide — why hide happiness? I’m just in a new projection and a new chapter of my life that is going to be amazing and I’m excited for it.”
What Has Ryan Lochte's New Girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, Said About Their Relationship?
In addition to Lochte sharing what he thinks of his relationship with Gillihan, she also expressed how she feels in her new romance with the Olympic swimmer.
“I’m extremely happy with Ryan,” she told the outlet. “He pursued me some time after Kayla served him with divorce papers and he was living on his own.”
“Seeing how great of a dad he was is what attracted me to him. 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.”
Reid has not reacted to the posts nor the interview with the Daily Mail at this time.