Olympic legend Ryan Lochte is set to head down the aisle again, just over a year on from his contemptuous divorce.
The former swimmer announced that he is engaged to girlfriend Molly Gillihan after 14 months of dating, according to TMZ.
The six-time Olympic gold medal winner is said to have gotten down on one knee last week at a restaurant called Prime and Pearl in Gainesville, Florida.
It was a romantic nod to the couple’s love story with the love birds spending their first date at the restaurant.
The happy couple are said to have walked along a path of red rose petals before taking a seat in the same booth where they began their romance.
At the table, a card was reportedly waiting, containing the all-important question. After reading the message, Gillihan turned around to find her beau down on one knee and gave a resounding, ‘yes.’
Former Olympian Ryan Lochte is engaged to his girlfriend, kindergarten teacher Molly Gillihan
The engagement comes over a year after his bitter divorce from ex-wife Kayla Rae Reid
Lochte and Gillihan went Instagram official with their romance over July 4 weekend last year but had begun dating a couple of months before.
‘I’m on cloud 9 she said yes. I’m happy this is my new beginning, and I couldn’t do it without her,’ the former athlete told TMZ when asked about the engagement.
The happy news comes around 15 months after his ex-wife Kayla Rae Reid filed for divorce in March 2025.
Lochte was married to the former Playboy Playmate, with whom he shares three children – Caiden, eight, Liv, six, and Georgia, two – for seven years.
The couple’s split was officially announced in June 2025, three months after the initial filing. However, proceedings have since descended into a series of sour legal and public jabs.
At the time, Reid wrote in a lengthy Instagram post that she made the ‘hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection’ following a season she described as ‘painful’ and ‘challenging.’
While she hinted at ‘betrayal’ in that initial announcement, Lochte was spotted cozying up to Gillihan shortly after, though he has adamantly denied any overlap between the two relationships.
Their separation took an ugly turn earlier this year when Reid levied further accusations of cheating against the former Olympian.
Ryan Lochte and his girlfriend, Molly Gillihan, are clapping back at Lochte’s ex-wife
In March 2025, ex-wife Kayla filed for divorce alleging Lochte did drugs in front of their kids
On an episode of her podcast ‘The Comeback Era with Caroline and Kayla,’ Reid claimed that Lochte and Gilihan began their relationship before the married couple separated.
‘I’m so happy for him,’ Reid said with heavy sarcasm. ‘They’ve been happy for a very long time. Very long time. For many years. They go way back.’
Lochte and Gillihan both defended themselves, posting screenshots of Instagram DMs the pair shared expressing their interest after the divorce began.
In one conversation dated late February 2025, Lochte is seen writing, ‘me and wife are separating, no bad blood between us, but rather tell you more on the phone then [sic] through here 🙂 here’s my number.’
Another message dated April 2025 came after Reid officially filed for divorce in court on March 26, 2025.
When Gillihan wrote that Lochte was ‘a married man,’ Lochte replied, ‘Haha no I’m not, u did t [sic] know we’re going through the divorce right now.’
Gillihan posted these screenshots to her social media with the caption, ‘I’ll just leave this here 🙂 #liesforclickbait’ while tagging Lochte.
Lochte told People Magazine, ‘I absolutely was not faithful to my ex-wife and I have no excuse but to continue to say I have grown and learned so much from my past and I am working on myself and my character every single day.
Pictured: Lochte, his ex-wife Kayla and two of the three children that the former couple share
‘I love Molly and the family we have so much and it breaks my heart to see Molly dragged into this because never, not one time, did Molly and I have any sort of inappropriate relationship while I was with Kayla.
‘I reached out to Molly after I was served divorce papers and living on my own.’
In court filings, Reid also alleged that the ex-swimmer used drugs in front of their children.
However, Lochte has maintained that he ‘never did drugs in front of the kids’ despite the accusations from Reid. He also claimed he never considered himself to have been addicted.
Meanwhile, Lochte has frequently gushed over his new partner over the past year, most recently calling her his ‘soulmate’ in a birthday post on Instagram.
‘When you came into my life, I was lost, broken, and honestly unsure of who I was anymore,’ he wrote in the post dedicated to Gillihan. ‘Then you walked in and loved me for the real me not the swimmer, not the spotlight, not any of the outside noise… just me. And that kind of love changed my life forever.
‘You became my best friend, my safe place, my peace, and the soulmate I spent my whole life praying for without even realizing it. You’ve stood beside me when I thought I was nothing and the darkest moments and somehow still managed to make me smile, laugh, and believe in myself again. Finding Ryan again not Ryan the swimmer….
‘Watching you love our family and everyone around you with soo much love and care has made me fall even more in love with you every single day. I truly don’t know where I’d be without you. Some people search their whole lives for a love like this… and I’ll never take ours for granted.
‘Happy Birthday to my forever person. I love you more than words will ever be able to explain. Truly an angel!’
More to follow.
