Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s wife, Kayla Rae Reid, is filing for divorce after seven years of marriage.
“Earlier this year, I made the hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection,” Reid, 33, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, June 4. “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.”
She added, “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 myself.”
Lochte, 40, and Reid got married in 2018, going on to welcome children Caiden, now 7, Liv, now 5, and Georgia, now 23 months. Neither the retired athlete nor Reid has revealed what led to their separation.
“Living with transparency and authenticity has been how I have grown into the persona I am today,” Reid continued in her Wednesday statement. “I’ll continue to do so, while also protecting the parts of this journey that are private and unfolding in uncharted territory. I believe God is still at work — even in the breaking, even in the unknown, I choose to believe that new growth can emerge from broken ground.”
She concluded, “Moving forward, I’m choosing to give myself grace. I’m choosing resilience, and I’m choosing to believe that what lies ahead will bring strength and peace. Your prayers and continued support mean the world to me right now.”
Lochte broke his silence on their separation later on Wednesday, noting in a social media statement that he is “deeply grateful for the life [they’ve] built together.”
“Although this decision hasn’t been easy, I believe it’s the right step toward peace and well-being for us both,” he wrote via Instagram. “I remain committed to healing, growth and coparenting 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 gold medalist and Reid started dating in 2016.
“We physically ran into each other. We grabbed each other’s hands and were looking into each other’s eyes,” Reid previously told the New York Post in August 2016. “We clicked.”
Throughout their marriage, Lochte and Reid put parenting first.
“Kids have changed everything,” Lochte exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2019, shortly after Liv’s birth. “It’s not just me and [Kayla] anymore. We have to always wake up and care for our little ones. One was hard, two is very hard, but it’s so much fun knowing every time we see our kids, we created this. … It’s pretty awesome to see them grow into people that they’re going to become.”
