Ryan Lochte Speaks Candidly about His Estranged Relationship with His Mom Ileana

Olympic swimmer, Ryan Lochte, spoke openly about his relationship with his mother which he believes is beyond repair. Speaking to Graham Bensinger, he discussed dynamics that have shaped the family.

The interview was filmed under strict COVID-19 regulations. Lochte went "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" speaking about his family set up that he hadn't shared publicly before.

Growing up, much of the sportsman's life seemed perfect, until he grew up and realized that it is not so. He said that circumstances led the family to lean towards supporting one parent and ganging up against another.

LEARNING THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS FAMILY

Lochte shared that growing up he wasn't really around family when his parents divorced. He was away training in Gainesville during the time. He said:

"It was a difficult time because all you know when you're growing is happy parents. They love each other. But as you grow, you learn that wasn't the case."

He gets uncomfortable talking about this and it becomes evident that he finds it difficult sharing intimate details of his upbringing. His relationship with his parents was complicated because of information he was fed.

UNDERSTANDING HIS PARENTS RELATIONSHIP

During the divorce, for Lochte, people's true colours were revealed. However, after sitting down with his dad he realized that much of what him and his siblings were fed was false information.

The Olympic medalist has just started rebuilding his career.

His dad explained to him that he kept certain things from them out of love and fear of probably never speaking to them again. Finding out the truth made him angry, but he is happy it happened as it repaired their relationship.

CUTTING OFF HIS MOM

Explaining how the rift came about, he said that initially they were on their mother's side. Sadly, after she said some hurtful things when he shared news about his pregnancy, that ended their relationship. He shared:

"She said some things to my wife and I that I can get over but I just want an apology from her. She then said she'll never apologise, she has nothing to be sorry about."

Since the incident he hasn't spoken to his mom, Ileana 'Ike' Aramburu, in years. His mom is as stubborn as he is and believes that she meant what she said.

LIVING HIS BEST LIFE WITH FAMILY

The Olympic medalist has just started rebuilding his career. This after his sponsors pulled out after he got into trouble in Brazil and South Korea at the respective Olympic Games.

According to ESPN, he said that he is a different person and has learnt and grown a lot from the experience. He is excited about what lies ahead.

Lochte is married to former Playboy model, Kayla Reid. They have two children, son, Caiden Zane and daughter, Liv Rae. When the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed because of COVID, he found time to be a dad.

Scheduled for 2021, Lochte is ready for the Games calling them his redemption Olympics. Next years Olympics are going to be his most important, he believes.