Ryan Lochte is opening up about his severed relationship with his mother Ileana.
In a new interview for In Depth with Graham Bensinger, the Olympian revealed that he hasn’t spoken to his momma in “years” after she said some “very, very hurtful things” to him over three years ago.
The 36-year-old explained how he was close with his mom after his parents’ 2011 divorce — but everything changed when he told Ileana that he and his wife Kayla Rae Reid were expecting their first child together. He recalled:
“When it happened, it was — we were all on my mom’s side. But then later on in life, 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, me and her.”
The swimmer didn’t detail what his mother specifically said but offered:
“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. And she said that she’ll never apologize… She has nothing to say sorry for. And from there on, it’s — I haven’t spoken to her in years.”
Wow! Lochte seems like such a happy-go-lucky guy, so this intense mother-son drama is a bit shocking to hear.
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For what it’s worth, Lochte said he’s done holding out hope that he and his mother will make amends, as he now has a loving family of his own. The athlete and Kayla share two children: their daughter Liv Rae, 15 months, and son Caiden Zane, 3.
He added in the interview:
“I don’t care. I’m happy right now with my family. My job is to protect my family. And I will do anything, no matter what, to protect my family.”
Thankfully, Lochte said his relationship with his father Steven has never been better, noting that the pair are “closer” than ever. He also gushed over his stepmother, telling Bensinger:
“How she treats me, my family, my dad. She’s the best… [My parents’ divorce] is something that I don’t regret happened because they’re happy and that’s all I want.”
As for the future of his own family, Lochte hasn’t ruled out having one or two more children. He recently told People:
“We talked about another child. We always go back and forth about it. This is where [wife Kayla’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.’ “
Awww!
What do U think about this revelation, Perezcious readers? Watch his interview (below) and share your thoughts in the comments.
[Image via Michael Wright/WENN/Good Morning America]
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