Allison Schmitt Says Living with Michael Phelps' and His Family Is 'the Greatest' as She Joins Them in Paris (Exclusive)

The 10-time medalist is experiencing her first Olympic Games as a fan while joining housemate Michael Phelps and his family

For the first time, Allison Schmitt is experiencing the Olympics as a fan. 

The 10-time medalist — including four gold wins and an unbroken record in the 200-meter freestyle — is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics joining Michael and Nicole Phelps and their four children as they take in the Games as retired Olympians.

"I guess I'm mostly here helping out Nicole and Michael with Nico," Schmitt, 34, tells PEOPLE from the lobby of her hotel in Paris.

"I'm so happy I get my baby snuggles," she adds of the youngest Phelps, who was born on Jan. 16. "And then just having the opportunity to be here and go to events I've never been able to go to before."

Attending as a spectator has been "a different experience," says Schmitt. The biggest change? Packing. "We used to get a box full of pretty much everything we'd need," she explains, "and now I'm like, 'Oh I already sweat through that outfit.' "

Related: Michael Phelps' 4 Kids: All About Boomer, Beckett, Maverick and Nico

Phelps, 39, and Schmitt are longtime friends — she even describes the swimming great and his wife as "family" — since they began training together in 2005. "I've experienced three of his Olympics and then in 2021, Nicole and Michael were both able to come over and cheer for me," she says of the Tokyo Games that took place under strict Covid-19 restrictions.

"They were the family that was able to come, which was really nice," says Schmitt. "I liked to hear familiar voices. My dad would always shout, so I knew where he was in the stands and that year, they shouted for me. It was really cute."

Now that the retired Olympians are able to enjoy the Games in Paris as spectators, Schmitt says it's "really special to experience it all" with Michael and Nicole.

The one required activity on Schmitt's Paris itinerary? Finding the "crookie" — part croissant, part cookie — that she found online. "Our next hotel is 23-minute walk from it so I'm literally gonna walk to it — I already have it planned out," she shares.

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Since retiring and earning her master's degree in social work at Arizona State University in 2023, Schmitt splits her time between Nashville, where her boyfriend lives, her family's home in Michigan and the Phelps' residence in Arizona.

"My stuff is all in Arizona, so my residency's in Arizona," she shares, describing her experience with the Phelps as "the greatest thing ever."

Related: Allison Schmitt Says Michael Phelps Being in Tokyo Is a 'Huge Support System' for Her and Team USA

Nicole and Michael share Boomer, 8, Beckett, 6, and Maverick, 4, in addition to baby Nico.

"I'm 'TT' to them," says Schmitt of the Phelps children. "It's just been so fun to watch them grow up. Like I said, their oldest Boomer is eight years old, and I'm like, 'How are you eight?'"

"I'm thinking of Nicole being pregnant and as we're training for Rio," Schmitt recalls. "She was so strong. It's funny because I've learned about pregnancy, which usually you don't learn about until you're pregnant yourself, but to be able to see it firsthand, I'm like, 'Okay, I need to remember that.' "

Now that Boomer is older, Schmitt says the Phelps household is emphasizing water safety with the children. "Water safety is huge in the household in general, but I mean, they're trying all different sports, they're so active and competitive, and they just want fun." And fun is definitely what Schmitt is having.

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