Olympic icon Ryan Lochte has spoken out after his wife of seven years revealed she had filed for divorce
Kayla Reid and the gold medalist swimmer, 40, share three children together, and she said on Instagram that her decision came after ‘deep prayer and reflection.’
Lochte also shared a statement of his own as he reacted to the big change.
‘I want to take a moment to acknowledge what Kayla shared,’ he said. ‘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 continued: ‘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 separately.’
‘Thank you to our family and friends for your continued support — it truly means a lot as we begin this new chapter,’ the Olympic swimmer concluded.
Kayla Reid has filed for divorce from her husband Ryan Lochte, she announced on Wednesday
Lochte and Reid are said to have met in 2016 before getting engaged that same year
Lochte, seen at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in 2021, is a six-time Olympic gold medalist
For her part, Kayla detailed the ‘painful’ decision to split from Lochte, who she first met in 2016.Â
‘I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life,’ she said. ‘I’ve been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing — not from fresh, open wounds.’
 ‘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.Â
‘I’ve come to the understanding 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.’
The couple shares son Caiden, 7, daughter Liv Rae, 5 and one-year-old daughter Georgia.
According to court records cited by People, Kayla filed for divorce on March 26.
Along with the statement she posted to Instagram, she shared a boomerang video of herself gazing into the distance as she sat inside.
She added in her statement: ‘Living with transparency and authenticity has been how I have grown into the person I am today, and I’ll continue to do so – while also protecting the parts of this journey that are private and unfolding in an unchartered territory.’
Kayla, who said she filed for divorce in March, was formerly a Playboy Playmate
Lochte and Kayla are seen in a playful TikTok, as he posed in his swimming attire
Kayla, a former Playboy Playmate, concluded her statement by saying she was ‘choosing to give herself grace,’ while asking for support and prayers from her followers.Â
The couple met in 2016 before getting engaged that same year in the fall.
Lochte and Kayla ultimately got married in 2018, with People reporting at the time that they tied the knot in Palm Springs, California.Â
The swimmer, who has not formally retired from competitive swimming despite not making the last Olympics, revealed last year that he was in a severe car accident which left him with serious injuries.
Lochte, 40, shared that he had spent the last 10 months recovering from a crash last November that broke his ‘femur in half.’
He said on the Athletes Only podcast that he crashed into a truck while on his way to pick up his children from school.
The swimmer, who represented Team USA in four Olympics ,explained that a trash truck had been parked in the middle of a busy four-lane street with no lights or cones to indicate that it had stopped.
The car in front of Lochte managed to swerve but the athlete wasn’t successful in avoiding the vehicle and ‘ran into the damn thing.’
Lochte has has several controversial moments throughout his swimming career.
During the 2016 Rio Games, he claimed that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint after a night out.
However, it was Later revealed that the armed men were actually security guards and several details of Lochte’s story proved to be fabricated. He was ultimately charged with submitting a false report to police, but charges were later dismissed after he apologized.
Two years later, the US Anti-Doping agency banned Lochte for 14 months due to his use of a prohibited IV infusion – something that Lochte, himself, revealed in a social media post, which he deleted soon thereafter.
More to followÂ
