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Who Is Ryan Lochte's Estranged Wife? All About Kayla Lochte and Why She Filed for Divorce from the Olympic Swimmer
@Source: people.com
Ryan Lochte's marriage to Kayla Lochte (née Reid) is coming to an end.
In June 2025, Kayla announced that she filed for divorce from Ryan after seven years of marriage in an Instagram post, though court records show that she filed the paperwork several months earlier on March 26.
The former couple's love story began the same year as the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when the 12-time Olympic medalist in swimming first met his estranged wife.
He revealed after the games that he was dating Kayla, and in October of the same year, he proposed to her during a private helicopter tour of Los Angeles. Ryan and Kayla welcomed son Caiden Zane a year later and then got married in 2018.
A year after they tied the knot, the pair had their daughter Liv Rae and welcomed daughter Georgia June in 2023.
In 2020, Ryan told PEOPLE that he’s a “family man” and “so happy” with his life. Ryan has also said he enjoys the busy life with Kayla and children: “It’s hard work being a dad and trying to compete at the highest level in sports. But I’m the happiest I’ve ever been — by far.”
So who is Ryan Lochte's estranged wife? Here's everything to know about Kayla Rae Lochte and her relationship with the Olympic swimmer.
She’s from Virginia
Kayla was born in the city of Fairfax, Va. on July 5, 1991, but she said on Facebook in 2020 that she grew up in nearby Arlington and moved around Virginia a lot when she was younger.
Kayla moved to Palm Springs, Calif. with her mom before college and also lived in nearby Cathedral City. She was interested in cheerleading as a child, and kept up the activity until college — she attended Fullerton, a public community college in California.
Kayla met Ryan through Instagram
Ryan first hinted that he was dating Kayla when she visited him during the 2016 Olympics in Rio. However, after they’d both shared photos of each other on social media, Ryan denied that he was dating anybody in an interview with Today.
Before the 2016 Olympics, Ryan had said that he’d been looking for love on Tinder, but he actually met Kayla through Instagram. He revealed to PEOPLE in 2018 that two years earlier he had slid into her DMs and arranged to meet her face-to-face in an L.A. club.
“We reached out and grabbed each other’s hands and were like ‘This is you! Finally.’ And we didn’t want to let go,” Ryan said of their first meeting. “Our friends were dragging us apart and that was the end of that night.”
She and Ryan got engaged in 2016
In October 2016, Ryan proposed to Kayla and announced the news with an Instagram post. Kayla then shared an Instagram post of her own, featuring the then-couple kissing and the caption “Speechless. Absolutely beautiful. So in love with YOU.”
Ryan surprised Kayla with a private helicopter tour of L.A. and a proposal overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunset. He popped the question with a custom-designed platinum ring featuring a radiant-cut diamond.
They got married two years after Ryan proposed
Kayla and Ryan got married in January 2018 at home in Florida. At the time, Ryan told PEOPLE, "I’ve waited for Kayla my whole life."
Then, in September of the same year, the pair had a formal wedding ceremony in Palm Springs, in front of friends and family. Their first child, Caiden, who was born the year prior, was the ring bearer.
For the wedding, Kayla wore a Galia Lahav wedding gown, Tacori diamond earrings and her grandmother’s bracelet. Her first dance with Ryan was to “You & I” by John Legend.
She has three children with Ryan
Ryan and Kayla have three children together, all born in the month of June. They first welcomed their son Caiden in 2017, before having their daughter Liv in 2019.
Kayla gave birth to their third child, daughter Georgia June, in 2023, and a couple of weeks later they celebrated their first Fourth of July as a family of five.
In July 2020 — before the arrival of their third child — the then-couple told PEOPLE that they were considering having four children together. “We're probably going to have a third baby, maybe four," Kayla said, before Ryan added, “This is where she's like, 'If we have a third one, we can't have an odd number. So you have to have four.’ I'm like, 'All right, I guess so. You're the mom.' ”
Kayla was a Playboy Playmate of the Month in 2015
According to Kayla's LinkedIn page, she has been a model and Playboy Playmate since 2015, while she’s also worked as a model for Monster Energy since 2013.
In July 2015, Kayla was the Playboy Playmate of the Month, and told the outlet that she liked a man who could be an “old-fashioned gentleman” who would treat her “like a princess.”
She works in real estate
While she might be known for her work as a model, Kayla has worked as a realtor with Tioga Realty in Gainesville, Fla., since September 2021, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Per the Guide to Greater Gainesville, Kayla has had an interest in real estate ever since she grew up watching her father and grandfather build custom luxury houses. She said, “They instilled my love of homes and showed me the value of determination and a strong work ethic.”
Kayla is a social media influencer
Kayla is popular on Instagram, with over 300,000 followers. She often shares photos of her kids on the social media platform.
She also promotes health products like organic wine and dietary supplements on her Instagram and has her own guide on moving to Gainesville, as she and Ryan did in 2017.
Kayla filed for divorce in March 2025
Though court records show that Kayla filed for divorce from Ryan in March 2025, she didn't announce the news publicly until June.
In a post she shared on Instagram, Kayla wrote that she "made the hard decision to end my marriage" earlier this year, explaining that she had been "hesitant" to share this update until she 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," she continued. "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.”
Kayla went on to say that she planned to continue "living with transparency and authenticity" while also being sure to protect "the parts of this journey that are private and unfolding in uncharted territory.”
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