The Olympic swimmer says he hasn't spoken to his mother 'in years.'
Ryan Lochte is opening up about his damaged relationship with his mother. According to the Olympian, he hasn't spoken to his mother, Ileana, in quite some time.
Lochte, 36, got candid about their estrangement during an interview with In Depth with Graham Bensinger, and said the shift in his family's dynamic first changed after his parents got divorced back in 2011.
"At one point, we were all against someone, and then later on in life, it changed... we were all on my mom’s side," Lochte said, referring to Illeana's split from Lochte's father, Steven.
However, their relationship apparently soured when Lochte revealed that he and then-fiance Kayla Rae Reid were expecting a baby.
"When I told her that she was going to be a grandma, and I'm having a kid she said some very, very hurtful things that kind of ended our relationship [for] me and her," Lochte said, although he declined to elaborate on the actual content of his mother's remarks.
"She just said some things to me and my wife, but I mean, I can get over it, but I just want an apology from her," Lochte explained. "[But] she said that she'll never apologize."
Lochte and Reid welcomed their first baby, son Caiden Zane, on June 8, 2017. The pair then tied the knot in a civil ceremony in January 2018, and later a lavish ceremony for friends and family the following September. The couple welcomed their second child, daughter Liv Rae, on June 17, 2019.
Lochte explained that his mother feels she "has nothing to say sorry for" and because of their falling out, "I haven't spoken to her in years."
The estrangement from his mom, however, led to Lochte building a stronger relationship with his father. He explained that he and his dad are "closer than we've ever been," and that he's bonded with his dad's new wife, Natalie.
"How she treats me, my family, my dad, she's the best," the swimmer said of his step-mother, adding that he doesn't even call her his step-mom anymore, "I call her mom, because she is my mom."
Despite the loss of his connection to his mom, Lochte said he's not letting it impact his life or his close connection and joy with his own loving family.
"I'm happy right now with my family," Lochte shared. "My job is to protect my family. And I will do anything, no matter what, to protect my family."
For more on Lochte's life as a husband and father of two, see the video below.
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