The Olympic swimmer says his time on "Dancing With the Stars" has been an "emotional roller coaster."
Ryan Lochte's emotions caught up with him backstage on Monday night's Dancing with the Stars.
The embattled Olympian looked joyful as he danced a quickstep to the Muppets theme song during the live show. But behind the scenes, fought tears as he spoke about the storming of the stage by two protesters last week, and how it affected his mom.
Read: Dancing With the Scarred: Ryan Lochte 'So Hurt' by 'DWTS' Protesters Who Stormed Stage
“After the dance, two people protested against me. Then I look up in the stands and I see my mom just in tears. And seeing her in tears it's just…" He then dropped his head in sadness.
Lochte told Inside Edition how the scare has taken a toll on him, saying: “I've been through an emotional roller coaster with everything that happened [while] trying to learn new steps. It was challenging.”
Lochte and partner Cheryl Burke scored a low 24 points for their quickstep but he was thrilled by the support from fellow contestants and back up dancers who wore shirts with “Lochte” written inside a heart.
It was a sharp contrast from the anti-Lochte shirts worn by protesters a week prior.
“I look at the shirts and I'm like, ‘Oh my God. This is what families do — they come together and show support.’ I couldn’t be more happy,” he told Inside Edition.
Read: Ryan Lochte Looking to Rebuild His Image on 'DWTS': 'Everyone Will See a Different Side of Me'
Since the incident last week, security at the studio has been dramatically beefed up.
