This Lochte might be locked down very soon! Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte said in a new interview that he’s ready to propose to his girlfriend, former Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid, following his controversy in Rio de Janeiro.
The athlete, 32, who’s currently competing on the latest season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, told USA Today on Monday, October 3, that his commitment to Reid was solidified following the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the tail end of the games, Lochte and a handful of his teammates dominated headlines after Brazilian authorities questioned their account of a supposed robbery at a local gas station.
The model showed Lochte her full support despite the scandal. “When I realized this was ‘the one’ was when she stuck behind me through this,” he recalled. “She still loves me and she’s still right there with me.”
His loved ones, meanwhile, have expressed concern about whether their whirlwind romance will last. “My family says, ‘Don’t you think it’s a little too soon?’” Lochte said. “I’m like, ’Can you put a time on love? Can you?’”
The couple first met this past January at Hollywood hot spot Bootsy Bellows while the swimmer was prepping for the Olympics and visiting friends in L.A. Lochte adorably recalled how he and the buxom blonde first locked eyes in the VIP Room of the celebrity-beloved nightclub — and he reached his hand out to greet her. The two locked hands only to be pulled apart by their friends moments later.
After the brief encounter, the athlete found her on Instagram and drafted a sweet message that read: “I was just like in awe when I saw you. I didn’t want to let go.”
All smiles with this one #swag #kiss
A photo posted by Ryanlochte (@ryanlochte) on
A photo posted by KAYLA RAE REID (@kaylaraereid) on
The two have been inseparable since then. “From the very first time I met her, everything has, like, clicked,’’ Lochte shared. “That’s why I know I can propose to her because everything that’s happened and she’s been keeping me so positive. She doesn’t care about my fame. She doesn’t care about anything. All she cares about is me being happy.”
