In a separate “statement,” Govan tweeted of Barnes, her longtime fiancé and father of her three-year-old twin boys, “I’m sure you guys are hearing a ton of buzz about Matt and me breaking up, sorry to say… it’s true! The most important thing is focusing on my kids and continuing to have a good relationship with their father, thanks for your support!!!”
For some, the break comes as a surprise. Though not a wife, when Govan first appeared on the original “Basketball Wives,” she was the only woman on the show in a seemingly functional relationship (until the domestic violence accusation against Matt last December. He publicly denied the charges) and came under scrutiny by her fellow cast mates, who infamously confronted her over lunch after they called off their wedding last August.
Just a month ago, when Gloria and Matt visited the ESSENCE offices in New York, things seemed all-good. Of their relationship status, Gloria explained to ESSENCE.com, “We’re comfortable with where we are in our relationship. We’re really solid and we’re happy. That’s why we canceled our wedding in the first place, because we realized it wasn’t for us — it was for everyone else. It was for friends, family, viewers, everyone. That was probably the best thing we could have done. I think Matt is at a different place in his life right now. He’s 31 and he’s been in the league for ten years, which is a really long time, and he’s more ready. But I’m just, like, still not there yet. The last thing I want to do is put him in a headlock and drag him down the aisle. If the wheel’s not broke… why fix it?”
For others, the writing was on the wall. Gloria’s nonchalant sentiment didn’t ring so true in a recent episode of “Basketball Wives,” which showed Matt and Gloria at the altar of their family church… for the christening of their twin sons. Gloria mused that Matt was such a romantic and hoped that he’d ask her to get married while they were up there, but she had no such luck and remained optimistic that the father of her children would someday put a ring on it, which no longer seems like a possibility. (You never know though, her sister, Laura Govan is re-united and newly engaged to Gilbert Arenas, the NBA ex who she once claimed left her when she was four months pregnant… “with no money to purchase food or Christmas gifts [for their three existing children.]”)
Do you think this is the end for Gloria & Matt? Would you like to see them work things out?
Demetria L. Lucas is the author of “A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life” (Atria) in stores now. Follow her on Twitter at @abelleinbk