“Call Me”: Swimming Goat Michael Phelps Described His Strangest Encounter With a Female Fan at the Disney Parade in 2008

Swimming GOAT Michael Phelps has been in the limelight for as long as one can remember him. Phelps rose to fame in the early 2000s at the mere age of 15. Since then, fame never left his side.

Growing up in front of the camera, Phelps was bound to be loved and adored by the people. From his childhood to his retirement, Phelps has been in the eye of the public, and countless fans have followed his journey to stardom.

A strange encounter at Disney

Having fans from all ages has both, up and down, sides. While it’ll get you the blessings of the elderly, you might also encounter someone a bit crazy. In an interview with People in 2008, Phelps recalled one of his strangest fan encounters.

Phelps described his encounter with a female fan at the Disney Parade crowd who was holding a neon green sign. The sign held by the fan had two short messages written on either side for the star. While there was a congratulatory message on one side, reading, “Congratulations, Michael“; the other side had the girl’s number with a “Call me.”

Read More: Despite winning 28 medals, Michael Phelps once claimed he hasn’t been ‘100 percent’ in any of the Olympics

Recalling his reaction to the signboard, the Baltimore star said, “I started laughing.” It’s safe to say the young star did enjoy the female attention. However, when questions revolved around his love life, he choose to remain silent.

Michael Phelps wanted to keep his private life private

It was in 2008 that there were linkup rumors about Michael Phelps and Former Miss California USA, Nicole Johnson. While now the world is sure of their relationship, when the rumors first made rounds, the swimming star would neither accept nor reject the claims. Phelps told People, “I never said I have a girlfriend, and I never said I don’t have a girlfriend. My public and private life are separate. I keep my private life to myself.”

Well, this news isn’t so private anymore. Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson tied the knot in 2016 after a long on-off-again relationship. The couple is the parents of three adorable sons.

Watch Story: Swimming legend Michael Phelps’ top 5 iconic career races