Ryan Lochte 'Didn't Fully Know' His Now-Estranged Wife When They Got Married

Ryan Lochte's fans have been gaining more than a few insights into his personal life lately ... and the former Olympian gave them plenty more when he shared a lengthy message on his Instagram account on Thursday.

FYI ... Ryan shared a post earlier this month and opened up about his rocky relationship with his estranged wife Kayla, and he said he ended up being kicked out of their home. She subsequently responded by sharing a video from their wedding day in 2018, which showed him reciting his vows, on her Instagram account.

It's worth mentioning Ryan and Kayla welcomed a son, Caiden, and a pair of daughters named Liv and Georgia over the course of their relationship. Kayla filed for divorce this past March.

Ryan addressed Kayla's post as part of Thursday's message and wrote, while he didn't mean to hurt her feelings with his initial post, he still believed they "didn't fully know each other" ... before saying he didn't even know himself at the time.

However, he said he regretted any of the disappointment he'd caused his family, especially Kayla, and added he was committed to working on himself going forward.

Ryan also touched on the upcoming auction of three of his Olympic medals, which he announced earlier this month, and he said he'd never competed for the medals -- they were just the "cherry on top" for him.

He added he'd given away plenty of his medals in the past and really didn't care too much for them ... because being able to compete with the best of the best was its own reward.