Michael Phelps might have a record-breaking 22 gold medals to his name, but it is his model girlfriend, Megan Rossee, who is getting the most attention these days.
After the pair made a public debut at a Speedo event on Monday, Rossee's fame skyrocketed as people scrambled to see the Olympian's better half. With notoriety comes criticism, however, and some are already claiming Rossee is only dating Phelps for her own personal gain.
RadarOnline.com reported that Rossee, a 5'9" blonde stunner who's an aspiring model/actress in Los Angeles, is using her relationship with Phelps to get her name out there.
"Michael is like a puppy dog around Megan -- he's completely in love with her," a source reportedly told RadarOnline. "However, like any young girl hoping to make it in Hollywood, she's ambitious and knows that by associating herself with Michael, she will get a lot of press herself."
The source added, "She's desperate for her own fame -- her career has been a slow-burner, but this will certainly accelerate it."
Rossee's camp is not taking the criticism lying down. Her father, Wayne Rossee, quickly defended his daughter, saying that RadarOnline's story is complete nonsense.
“She had a career in her own right before she ever met Michael,” Wayne told RumorFix.com. “In fact, she put things on hold to support him and go to London like he asked her to. She is not with him to be famous, she doesn’t need that from him.”
Wayne also told RumorFix that his daughter and the 27-year-old swimmer met in February at a Las Vegas club and have been dating ever since.
He was the first to confirm the romance, telling Celebuzz, "Yes, it's true. I haven't met him yet. I will soon. He's been kind of busy."
Although Phelps has stayed mum about his lady love, Rossee has been a bit more publicly affectionate, posting numerous tweets to her man and sharing private photos on Instagram.
Phelps and Rossee made their public debut as a couple on Monday night, hitting the red carpet in London for a Speedo event, according to Us Weekly. They happily posed for photos, but Phelps refused to answer any questions from reporters about his relationship.
