Ryan Lochte’s Ex-Wife Reveals What Was Really Happening Behind Closed Doors

Kayla Reid is opening up about the breakdown of her eight-year marriage to 12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte, detailing the private struggles she says were hidden behind their public life together.

Jun 18, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Ryan Lochte after the Men s 200m Individual Medley Finals during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Swimming competition at CHI Health Center Omaha. | Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

For years, Ryan Lochte and Kayla Reid looked like they had weathered nearly everything together.

The 12-time Olympic medalist and former model married in 2018, built a family and publicly stood by one another through some of the most turbulent stretches of Lochte's life. But days after their divorce was finalized, Reid is sharing a much different account of what she says was happening inside their marriage.

In a new interview with People, Reid, 35, opened up about the relationship's unraveling and alleged that infidelity, substance abuse and repeated dishonesty ultimately pushed her to leave Lochte.

"What I was living I thought was good, but there were a lot of things that I didn't know were happening," Reid told the outlet.

Her account also included a striking admission about how long she had privately questioned their future.

Years before the marriage ended, Reid said she wrote in her journal that their relationship was "a ticking time bomb." Now, with the divorce behind her, she sees that period of her life differently.

"I'm thankful that I'm no longer in that place," Reid said.

Kayla Reid Details the Breaking Point in Marriage to Ryan Lochte

Reid and Lochte first connected in 2016 after the Olympic swimmer reached out to her on Instagram. Their son Caiden was born in June 2017, and the couple married the following year. They later welcomed daughter Liv in 2019 and daughter Georgia in 2023.

According to Reid, however, problems began well before their family was complete.

She alleged that while she was pregnant with Caiden, she received photos showing Lochte close to another woman while he was attending a wedding. Reid said she confronted her husband and believed him when he denied cheating.

She told People that she encountered another troubling situation while pregnant with Georgia in 2023, when she said she found a photo from another woman on Lochte's phone.

Reid also alleged that Lochte struggled with alcohol and used other substances during their marriage. Lochte has previously spoken publicly about his struggles with substance use, but has denied using drugs around his children.

The couple faced another major challenge after Lochte was seriously injured in a November 2023 car accident. He suffered a broken femur and underwent a lengthy recovery.

By 2024, Reid said she had learned more about the extent of his alleged substance use. She eventually reached what she described as her breaking point in January 2025.

Reid said she gave Lochte an ultimatum that included entering an inpatient rehabilitation program and completing marriage counseling.

"He screamed, said he wasn't going to rehab, he didn't have a problem," Reid recalled. "I called the attorney and filed for divorce."

Their divorce was finalized earlier this month after an approximately 18-month legal process.

Ryan Lochte Responds to His Ex-Wife's Claims

Lochte, 42, also addressed the end of the marriage in a statement to People, acknowledging mistakes in his past while declining to respond individually to Reid's allegations.

"Over the past several years, I've taken responsibility for the mistakes I've made and have spoken openly about some of the lowest moments in my life," Lochte said. "Looking back, I wasn't ready to be a husband or the man my family deserved at that point in my life."

"That's on me," he added.

Lochte said he did not intend to engage in a public back-and-forth over the divorce and stressed that protecting his children remains his priority.

He also addressed Reid's claim that he sought a confidentiality agreement during the divorce, saying it was not intended to hide the truth or protect his reputation but to shield their children from public attention.

Lochte has since become engaged to Molly Gillihan. Gillihan separately disputed Reid's characterization of their relationship, telling People that she and Lochte only reconnected after he was living independently and divorce proceedings were already underway.

Reid, meanwhile, said she is looking forward after the end of the marriage. "I get to have a second chance at life and love," she said.