'REALLY TOUGH': Nia Long opens up on how public support helped her heal after Ime Udoka cheating scandal
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Ime Udoka cheating on Nia Long with a fellow staff member of the Boston Celtics was a well-documented scandal. Now, Long has opened up about how the whole experience was ‘a gut punch.’ The ‘Big Momma’s House’ actress, 52, finally opened up about how her life with the Celtics’ head coach Udoka fell apart because he cheated on her. She ended her engagement with Udoka with whom she had been in a relationship for more than a decade. The pair also has an 11-year-old son, Kez.
The actress thanked the fans and the general public for their support during the tough time and also talked about how it got her through the bad patch. She mentioned that she took issue with how the cheating scandal was handled by the Celtics, the team had aired her family’s business out to the public, and had also suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season. “It could have all been handled internally,” she said. "The Celtics made a choice to make my family business public, and I don’t understand why," the ‘Are We There Yet?’ actress said in an interview with The Cut magazine.
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Long says 'fans saved my life'
Long said "I can’t talk about it. Maybe one day I will. You know, fear drives stupidity, and I’ll leave that right there. I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was.” She was also frank about how she was still processing the pain of being cheated on. "I’m still figuring it out," she said. "I’m still going, Wait, did this really happen? Because, you know, you’re with someone for 12, 13 years, you think you know them.”
Long said the public support from fans "saved my life" and "mental well-being." She said it left her feeling "uplifted by the community.” She had liked the public reaching out to her by saying "family ...checking in and making sure I was okay."
Long on helping son Kez through the breakup
She also said that the worst part of it all was trying to explain the situation to her young son Kez, and helping him through the transition. Long had taken her son and moved away to Los Angeles from Boston after the split. "My only focus right now is my youngest son 'cause he’s having a really tough time," she admitted.