Sophia Hutchins is clearing the air about her friendship with Caitlyn Jenner. Hutchins denied having a romantic relationship with Jenner in a statement to People on Wednesday, stating that she and the 71-year-old Olympic gold medallist had a "parental, familial bond." The pair met when Hutchins was just 12 years old and Jenner was representing Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal; they have stayed close since then, with Jenner acting as a mentor to Hutchins. Hutchins said of their relationship, "It's very parental. It's very familial. She's been like a mother to me." Jenner came out as transgender in 2015 after months of speculation regarding her identity. As a female athlete who competed as a man, many people questioned whether she would be allowed to compete in the Ms. Olympia bodybuilding contest, but she was given permission to do so by the World Professional Bodybuilding Association. She went on to win the title, making her the first transgender person to win an award of its kind. In addition to her work as an activist for transgender rights, Jenner has appeared in several television shows and films since coming out as trans. She plays Olympian track star Bruce Jenner in the E! reality series Caitlyn Jenner: Life in the Transgendered Community and has a role as herself in the 2016 film The Bisexual.