Nia Long Responds to Criticism Over Being Unmarried
Actress Nia Long has graced the cover of Essence magazine and opened up about life as a single mom.
The 41-year-old actress has two sons and explained that she is in no rush to walk down the aisle with her partner, basketball player Ime Udoka.
"Marriage is not a priority for me," said the "Soul Food" star in the August edition of Essence. "I'm not saying I'll never do it, it's just not where we are as a family."
Although she feels confident in her decision, Long admitted she is aware of the criticism she receives for being unmarried.
"I'll be at home with my man, having a perfectly loving time, and I'll see all these comments on some site about how wrong I am for not being married," she said. "I don't feel less loved or less loving because I'm not married."
Long welcomed her first child with Udoka eight months ago, and also has a 10-year-old son Massai. The actress divulged that she has "never seen a marriage work" and that having reached an "emotional maturity" is more important to her when it comes to relationships, including hers with her son's father.
"Massai's dad and I have had the most challenging times, and I wasn't always sure we wouldn't end like my mother and father," said Long. "But we've arrived at a place where I can truly say he's not a baby daddy, he'd my friend, finally. He is an amazing father."
Moreover, the actress described the contentment she has in motherhood.
"Motherhood is not easy, but it's natural," she said, according to Essence. "I worked hard to have the career I wanted, but I've also been deliberate about my personal life. None of this is a mistake."
Long is best known for her role as Will Smith's girlfriend in "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and appeared in movies "Boyz in the Hood," "Love Jones," and "Big Momma's House," among many others.
