Nia Long holds back tears recalling months following Ime Udoka split

Nia Long fought back tears as she reflected on the “devastating” months following her split from fiancé Ime Udoka.

“I’ve had some pretty devastating moments in my life over the last couple of months,” she told Yahoo! Entertainment over the weekend.

“And I’ve had to just say, ‘It’s alright. You’ll pick yourself back up and’ — oh my god. I’m about to cry. ‘You’ll pick yourself back up and keep moving,’” she added as she fanned her face with her hands to stop herself from crying.

The “Best Man” actress’ emotional revelation comes four months after the Boston Celtics announced that Udoka, 45, would be suspended as head coach for allegedly having “an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise’s staff.”

Following his suspension, Udoka issued a public apology to his team, the entire Celtics organization and his family for “letting them down.”

“I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision,” he said in a statement to ESPN in September. “Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.” 

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Long was reportedly “blindsided” by the affair and Udoka only told her about the cheating days before he knew the news would become public.

Two months later, Long spoke out about how the scandal has impacted her and Udoka’s 11-year-old son, Kez.

“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 told The Hollywood Reporter last December.

“No one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK,” the “Boyz n the Hood” star continued. “It’s very disappointing.”

Later that month, Long’s rep confirmed to People that she and the former NBA coach were “no longer together but remain fully committed to co-parenting their son.”

A source also told the outlet that “the situation is unfortunate and painful, but Nia is focusing on her children and rebuilding her life.”

NBAE via Getty Images

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Udoka and Long began dating in 2010 after meeting through mutual friends. In 2015, the former couple got engaged.