Nia Long’s 13-year engagement is officially over.
A rep for the veteran actress confirmed on Tuesday that she is split from Ime Udoka.
The news was first shared by PEOPLE which noted that Long, 51, and Udoka, 45, ended their relationship after the former Boston Celtics head coach was allegedly having an affair with a subordinate within the team’s organization. This woman was reportedly a travel planner who allegedly handled Nia’s move to Boston to be with Udoka that she proposed to Nia in 2015.
“The situation is unfortunate and painful, but Nia is focused on her children and rebuilding her life,” a Nia Long source initially told the publication.
Long’s rep later confirmed that the breakup report was true and said that even though Long and Udoka have been together the longest, they “remain fully committed to co-parenting their son.” [Kez].”
The pair’s split comes after the Boston Celtics held a press conference in September to discuss Udoka’s suspension.
The news also comes in the middle of Nia’s story The Hollywood Reporter last week that the Celtics have yet to reach out to her privately following the September scandal.
“It’s very disappointing,” the actress said. “If you’re in the business of protecting women, I’m sorry, nobody from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m okay, to see if my kids are okay.”
Long continued, “I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to go public with a very private situation.”
She also shared that she pulled her son out of school when Udoka’s alleged affair became public knowledge, and has been posting pictures of a new home in recent weeks. Many assumed that her living conditions marked a new chapter in her life and speculated that she had officially parted ways with the coach.
It seems that these assumptions were correct.
We wish Nia all the best as she puts all of this behind her.
Are you surprised that Nia Long and Ime Udoka broke up?
