Ryan Lochte’s Estranged Wife Shares Video of Him Reciting His Wedding Vows amid Their Divorce

Ryan Lochte’s estranged wife, Kaya Reid Lochte, is taking a walk down memory lane amid their ongoing divorce.

The realtor, 34, shared a throwback video on Instagram on Thursday, Dec. 11, from her and Ryan’s wedding day, showing the athlete, 41, reciting his vows and promises to her amid their contentious court battle. 

In the video, the swimmer listed all the things that his wife did for him, including putting her “own dreams on hold” to help him “live out” his own and “moving across the country” to support him before the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“Standing by my side during Rio was proof that you love me more than I could ever imagined,” he told her, seemingly referring to the media whirlwind he faced after he falsely claimed that he and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint during the games. 

“Those were the darkest days of my life, and I thank God every day that I have you to pick me up,” he said. “You kept me going. You pushed me to set new goals, and you gave me a reason to live.”

The Olympic gold-medalist then vowed to her that he would “respect” her, “share” his heart “fully” with her and “be the best husband and father I can be.” He added that he would also “never stop reminding” her of his love.

“Today, as we continue our story, I am confident that no matter what ups and downs we face, as long as we are together on this journey, and I’m in charge of the directions, we will always make it home,” he said before the video ended.

Kayla — who shares three kids with Ryan: son Caiden Zane, 8, and daughters Liv Rae, 6, and Georgia June, 2 — captioned the video, “sharing a special reminder.” She also re-shared the video to her Instagram stories with three microphone emojis.

This comes a few days after Ryan announced that he would be writing a tell-all book amid his ongoing separation from Kayla, who quietly filed for divorce from him in March, noting that their seven-year marriage was “irretrievably broken.” 

In his message announcing the book, the athlete seemingly alluded to his estranged wife, writing that there was a time in his life in which, “every day, I woke up to be belittled and reminded of my constant failures, day in and day out,” and noted that he was “eventually kicked out of our family home.”

Lochte said he was “depressed to my core” and turned to “alcohol, drugs and sleep” at that time. The former athlete was also in a severe car accident in 2023, that led him to struggle with substance abuse this year and go to rehab.

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However, he said in the announcement that he had since turned his life around, writing, “I have finally found my voice and the confidence I thought was gone forever. The life that had been completely drained from me is finally being restored.” 

The athlete, who is currently in a new relationship with Molly Gillihan, has pushed back in court against Kayla’s requests for sole use of their home in Gainesville, Fla., as well as alimony, child support and attorney’s fees. He also denied Kayla’s claim that it would be best if she won sole parental responsibility. 

As for Kayla, she previously opened up about the estrangement in a statement, saying, “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.”