These days, Nia Long is reclaiming her throne as an OG hot girl with new films rolling out, stunning red carpet appearances, and a trip to Dubai for the opening of the new luxury resort Atlantis The Royal (aka, she went to see Beyoncé’s concert). Still, it wasn’t that long ago that she publicly weathered a particularly severe storm in her personal life. The You People actress found her family in the headlines when her ex-fiance, Ime Udoka, was revealed to have had in an intimate relationship with a female member of Boston Celtics staff. It ultimately caused him to be suspended as the Celtics head coach for the 2022-2023 year and ended the couple’s relationship after more than a decade.
Four months later, Long is opening up about that tough time. In a recent interview with Role Recall for Yahoo! Entertainment, Long got emotional when discussing the path forward.
“I’ve had some pretty devastating moments in my life over the last couple of months. And I’ve had just to say, ‘It’s all right. You’ll pick yourself back up and — oh my god. I’m about to cry,” she said as she fanned her face with her hands to stop herself from crying. “‘You’ll pick yourself back up and keep moving.’”
Udoka and Long began dating in 2010 after meeting through mutual friends. In 2015, the two became engaged.
She was reportedly blindsided by the affair, stating that Udoka only told her about the cheating several days before he knew the news would become public, according to Page Six. In December 2022, Long shared how the scandal negatively impacted the former couple’s 11-year-old son, Kez, in The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public,” she said. “No one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”
Although the couple is no longer together, they are committed to co-parenting their son. She is also a mom to son Massai, 22, from a previous relationship.