Ryan Lochte offered a heartfelt confession… or was he trying to get ahead of something??
The Olympic swimmer took to Instagram over the weekend to share a deeply personal life update: he recently battled substance abuse. But he’s luckily come out the other end of it clean and sober. The 41-year-old told followers:
“I wanted to share some positive updates in my life and what’s going on. I’m so happy right now, and the big reason is that I’m 54 days sober. Yes!”
Ryan went on to reflect on his 2023 car accident, which left him with severe injuries including a broken femur:
“After my accident in 2023, I fell into a really dark place. Depression, loneliness, and feeling like I was giving up in life — which led me down a road of substance abuse.”
But he took action. He went to rehab:
“But with everything going on in my life, I needed to make a change — a drastic change — so I checked myself into a Florida recovery center. The staff there has been incredible. They helped me realize that substance abuse isn’t a solution. It’s just a distraction that makes things worse.”
The professional athlete continued:
“Now I feel so much better. I’m thinking clearly, I’m motivated, and I’m moving forward. And I wanted to share this with you guys, especially my fans, because you guys are so important to me. There’s a lot of stigma around substance abuse, but in life you’re going to get knocked down, or hit a road block. There’s no if, ands, buts around it — that’s just what happens. But it’s not how you get knocked down. It’s how you get up and keep moving forward and keep bettering yourself everyday putting one foot in front of another.”
Great! It’s a really inspiring message. Ryan concluded his heartfelt post:
“So that is what I am doing: I’m bettering myself each day, so if anyone out there is struggling, please know you’re not alone in this. It happens to good people. And there’s people out there that care about you, amazing organizations that can help you become the best version of yourself. So let’s do this together.”
Watch his full video (below):
So what inspired him to come forward with this now? Maybe knowing what was coming?
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Just DAYS after Ryan shared this message, his estranged wife Kayla Lochte‘s accusations against him went public — and they are BAD! In court docs seen by multiple outlets on Tuesday, she claimed Ryan used drugs in front of one of their children! She made the startling claim in a bid to gain full custody of their three kids, including Caiden, 8, Liv, 6, and Georgia, 2:
“Shared parental responsibility would be detrimental to the children because [Ryan] has a history of substance abuse.”
Kayla alleged she found “mostly empty baggies of cocaine around the marital home as [Ryan] had consumed the majority of the contents before the baggies were discovered.” She claimed she found “baggies” in several areas throughout their home, including in the dining room AND in the kids’ bedrooms and bathroom. WTF!
The 34-year-old also claimed Ryan would frequently “doze off during the day” while watching the kids:
“Upon his return home, [Kayla] would find him passed out in the driver’s seat, with the car still on and the music blaring … [Ryan] has also fallen asleep while being the only adult watching the children because [Kayla] was working out of town.”
According to the court docs, Kayla caught Ryan using nitrous oxide in the garage with one of their children present and claimed he had “driven the children to school while intoxicated.” WTF???
That’s really, REALLY bad.
And Kayla calls BS on Ryan’s claims he’s 52 days sober, too, saying he’s still using drugs to this day:
“Upon information and belief, he is still abusing illegal controlled substances.”
The proof? She claimed Ryan recently failed drug tests:
“[Ryan’s] recurring and repeated irresponsible behavior shows he is unfit to exercise shared parental responsibility, and it would [be] a detriment to the minor children to award the same.”
The pro swimmer has since denied using substances in front of the kids in a statement to Us Weekly reiterating his earlier post:
“As I acknowledged earlier this week, after my car accident in 2023, I fell into a cycle of depression that led to substance abuse. I am not denying that I used drugs in my home, but I adamantly deny ever using drugs in front of or around my children, and I have never driven them while intoxicated.”
Is using drugs inside the home where your children life not “around” the children? Like, how close does he have to leave the baggies of coke to them to count?
As for passing out in his vehicle, he explained:
“At times, I would rest in my truck instead of going inside — not because I was impaired, but because the home environment had become overwhelming and very toxic, and I needed a moment to collect myself before walking in. I have tried desperately to keep these divorce proceedings private and sealed, not to protect myself, but to protect my children from fabricated allegations that could hurt them. Unfortunately, despite that effort, my ex-wife chose to make this matter public, knowing I was already in intensive rehab.”
Wow… This is a lot! What do you make of it? Is she being unhelpful to his rehab journey? Or is he trying to put a sympathetic face on some really sketchy behavior?? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Images via Ryan Lochte & Kayla Lochte/Instagram]
The post Ryan Lochte’s Wife Claims He Did Drugs In Front Of The Kids! Plus, His Secret Rehab Stay Revealed… appeared first on Perez Hilton.
