Ryan Lochte rushed by protesters during Dancing with the Stars debut
The pair were arrested while other protesters called out anti-Lochte chants from the audience
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Your support makes all the difference.Disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte said he was “hurt” after two protesters stormed onto the stage as he was making his Dancing with the Stars debut on live television.
Los Angeles police confirmed that two local men, aged 40 and 48, posed as audience members and were arrested for trespassing.
The pair burst onto the stage, disrupting filming, while Mr Lochte and his dance partner Cheryl Burke were being critiqued by the panel of judges.
They two protesters were “immediately subdued and escorted out of the building”, according to a spokesperson from BBC Worldwide Productions.
Mr Lochte said he felt “a little hurt” following the incident.
“So many feeling are going through my head right now,” he said, as reported by BBC news.
Mr Lochte left Brazil last month, shortly after he claimed he and his three teammates were robbed at gunpoint as they drove back to the Olympic village in a taxi.
His version of events were disputed by CCTV footage and authorities, who claimed the Gold medal winner had lied to cover up their vandalism of a petrol station and public urination. A judge issued a federal warrant for his arrest, by which time he had already flown home to the US.
He later apologised for “exaggerating” the story, and he was dropped by four sponsors.
During his dancing debut, the show quickly cut to a commercial advert break as the protesters came onto the stage.
Several women in the audience wearing white T-shirts with “Lochte” in a red circle on them shouted: “Liar!”
When the show resumed live on air host Tom Bergeron apologised for the “little incident”.
“I would personally like to thank our security team for staying in shape,” he said.
He then asked if Mr Lochte was alright.
“I’m doing good,” the athlete replied.
Mr Lochte has been banned from swimming competitions for 10 months, which means he will not be able to participate in the 2017 World Championships.
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