Nia Long Talks About Being "So Single" And Nervous To Date Again

In 2022, Long had a rollercoaster time due to her split with Ime Udoka. However, the actress recently shared that she is happily single on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. The Missing actor revealed she was nervous to date again.

Per Buzzfeed, the actress later shared she was interested in someone. Long, however, did not reveal the identity of the special person. Barrymore said she loved dating too which the Empire actress revealed she was nervous. The ladies then moved to chat about dating apps. Barrymore shared that it was better to be rejected privately than in public. 

The Third World actress rebuked dating rumors famous R&B singer. Omarion recently shared a picture of him and Long holding hands at the premiere of You People. After the picture, gossip sites created dating rumors between the two. However, Long was quick to debunk the rumor.

Barrymore asked the type of relationship Long was seeking. The actress shared she was still processing. However, she feels free and liberated being single. "It's so good like I'm wearing my old jeans again," the actress said. She continued that she has to be careful of the person she stands next to on the red carpet. Long shared that she has dated about five or six people in the past without knowing their middle names. 

A source revealed that Long and Udoka's 13-year relationship came to an end in 2022. The duo was engaged but ended up splitting. The split was because of the former Boston Celtics head coach's alleged cheating scandal.

Udoka was said to have had an affair within his team's organization with a female subordinate. The rep also revealed that although the duo was separated, they are co-parenting their son. Before the suspension, ESPN reported that Udoka was having an intimate relationship with the woman which he later apologized for. Long also released a statement at that time, sharing her focus was on her son. 

Udoka and Long got engaged in 2015 and share an 11-year-old son. They first met in February 2010. At that time, Udoka was a professional basketball player with Sacramento Kings. The duo was set up by a mutual friend.

The couple revealed they were expecting their first son in June 2011. Their son was later born on November 7th, 2011. This made Long a second-time mom, as she earlier welcomed a son from a previous relationship In 2012, Long shared that marriage was not a priority to her. Yet, in May 2015, the couple got engaged but were not in a hurry to get married.

In December 2020, Long shared that they did not need labels as proof of their relationship. Due to their busy jobs, the duo lived separately for a while. She later moved in with Udoka but later moved out.