Ryan Lochte is seemingly celebrating Christmas Eve without his three children.
The Olympian, 41, revealed via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, December 24, that he was having “soo much fun” downhill innertubing with his girlfriend, Molly Gillihan. Despite having a blast, Lochte admitted that he wished his kids — son Caiden Zane, 8, and daughters Liv Rae, 6, and Georgia June, 2 — were with him to enjoy the festive fun.
“Missing my kiddos,” he added. “They would love this.”
Ryan shot the footage of himself and Molly, 37, soaring down a hill in their inner tubes, in addition to sharing a festive family photo on Wednesday. The swimmer went Instagram official with his new girlfriend in August by posting a romantic photo of him cuddling up with Molly.
“Happiness looks good on me. Can’t hear the outside noise 😉 All smiles with you even thru obstacles thrown at us,” he added.
Lochte went public with this new relationship only two months after his estranged wife, Kayla Rae Lochte (née Reid), announced that she was 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 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.”
Kayla explained that she’d made the decision to end her marriage after “trials” that she “didn’t choose or see coming.”
“In those moments, we’re forced to make the hardest decisions to protect our peace, our children and our future,” she explained. “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.”
She went on, “Living with transparency and authenticity has been how I have grown into the persona I am today. 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.”
Ryan later responded to reports claiming that Kayla felt she had no choice but to divorce her husband because he’d betrayed her trust.
“Kayla and I both wish to keep this matter private for many reasons, most importantly, to protect our children,” the athlete told People in June. “For that reason, I also won’t be commenting on this matter, or replying to allegations made by third parties.”
However, Ryan — who told Us Weekly in September that he’d recently celebrated 54 days of sobriety — clarified to the Daily Mail the following month that his new relationship with Molly “didn’t take [him] away from [his] ex-wife.”
“[Molly] didn’t take me away from my kids,” he insisted. “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. … There was no infidelity with Molly, like nothing.”
Ryan blamed Kayla for wanting “this divorce in the first place and now she’s playing this pity party.”
More recently, Kayla seemingly shaded her estranged spouse by posting his wedding vows via Instagram in December.
“Standing by my side during Rio was proof that you love me more than I could ever imagined,” he told his then-wife in the unearthed clip. “Those were the darkest days of my life, and I thank God every day that I have you to pick me up. You kept me going. You pushed me to set new goals, and you gave me a reason to live.”
That same day, Ryan attempted to shed some light on “a lot happening behind the scenes” in his split from Kayla.
“I recognize that Kayla has shared our wedding vows on her page to highlight the authenticity of what we once had,” he wrote. “While I respect that, I still stand by my belief that we didn’t fully know each other, and honestly, I didn’t know myself or who I was. I am very thankful for our three children and the love we shared at that time.”
Ryan also confirmed that he plans to sell his Olympic medals amid financial issues faced by the former couple.
“I also would like to clarify the selling of my medals. I never swam for the gold medals. My passion has always been about being one of the best swimmers in the world. Those medals? They were just the cherry on top of an incredible journey,” Ryan explained. “With 90 international medals – including Olympics, world championships, Pan Pacs and Pan Am Games – I’ve been fortunate to achieve more than any swimmer out there. But what means the most to me is what I’ve done with them. I’ve given away medals to fans and young kids in the stands, because it’s never been just about me. It’s about inspiring the next generation and helping them chase their dreams. The memories, the hard work and the connection with all of you are what I treasure the most.”
Ryan won six Olympic gold medals throughout his swimming career. He stepped away from the sport in 2021 after failing to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
