Ryan Lochte’s girlfriend, Molly Gilihan, is speaking publicly about their relationship and the swimmer’s recovery journey, saying her main priority is honesty and transparency. In a new interview with Sean Hannity, Gilihan described the difficult period Lochte went through before they got together and said he carried a great deal of shame during that time. She explained that, in his lowest moments, getting high was the only thing that seemed to make him feel better.
Gilihan said Lochte has been open about working on sobriety, but she wants him to be completely honest with her if he ever struggles again. She said she does not want him to hide anything and would rather he come home and talk to her if he found himself in a situation involving drugs. In her view, any future mistake should be confronted together instead of kept secret.
She also said the thing that scares her most is the possibility that Lochte might conceal a relapse or a setback. Lochte responded by insisting that secrecy is not part of their relationship. He said he does not hide anything from Gilihan, called her his best friend, and described their relationship as one with an open phone policy and “nothing to hide.”
The interview also touched on Lochte’s strained personal life and ongoing divorce from estranged wife Kayla Reid Lochte. Kayla filed for divorce in the summer of 2025, describing the decision as one of the hardest of her life. In a public statement, she said marriage is something she takes seriously and explained that leaving the relationship was, in her view, an act of love for herself and those around her.
The split has not been without serious allegations. In earlier comments, Kayla accused Lochte of having a history of substance abuse and claimed she found mostly empty bags of cocaine in their home, including in areas connected to their children. Those allegations came after Lochte had already spoken about his own efforts to get sober following a car accident that led him into a period of depression, loneliness, and self-doubt.
Lochte later said he checked himself into a Florida recovery center and began to understand that substance abuse was not a solution, but a distraction that made life worse. His sobriety story is expected to be explored in more detail in an upcoming memoir, which Lochte announced in December 2025. He said the book will tell the public who he is beyond the medals, describing his rise from a carefree athlete to one of the world’s most recognizable Olympians and the backlash that followed his fall from grace.
In addition to the memoir, Lochte recently drew attention for taking an assistant coaching job at a Missouri college. Reports said the position pays $34 an hour and includes a contract worth about $30,000, with possible bonuses for conference and NCAA championship achievements.
