Jennifer Hudson is parting ways from her fiance David Otunga after a decade together, and the split does not appear to be amicable.
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"They have been in the process of ending their relationship for a number of months," a representative for The Voice coach told People.
"Today, Jennifer requested and received a protective order against her ex-fiance. Jennifer's actions are solely taken in the best interest of their son."
Otunga, a 37-year-old former wrestler, and Hudson, 36, welcomed a son together, David Daniel Jr., in August 2009.
Hudson and Otunga, who competed on VH1's I Love New York 2 and finished as its second runner-up, began dating in 2008 and Otunga reportedly proposed marriage to the singer and actress only a few months into their relationship.
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In a statement issued to People, Otunga's attorney Tracy M. Rizzo said of the split, "David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks now."
"However, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child's primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute."
Rizzo continued, "As a result of Mr. Otunga's career in the WWE, Ms. Hudson felt that she could give an award winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim. Mr. Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms. Hudson or their son, and it is unfortunate, especially in today’s climate, that she would feel the need to make these false allegations against him."
Rizzo added that Otunga "looks forward to his day in court" and "being awarded the residential care" of the couple's son.
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The breakup may not come as a big shock to fans considering Hudson was seemingly dragging her feet on following through on the engagement and getting married.
She appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in April 2017 and was asked about her impending nuptials, according to Us Weekly.
"I'm not in a hurry. He's not going anywhere," Hudson told Ellen DeGeneres of planning her future wedding, adding that they were both happy in the relationship at the time.
But Hudson experienced tragedy only one month after getting engaged to Otunga, when her mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were fatally shot in their Chicago home. Hudson's seven-year-old nephew, Julian King, had also been found dead inside a vehicle outside.
In a 2011 interview with Ebony magazine, Hudson explained that she might have been a victim in the situation if it hadn't been for her romance with Otunga.
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She was apparently visiting her beau in Florida when the shootings occurred.
"That's one of the things that saved my life, because I could have been home with my mom then. He wanted me to come out to Florida with him instead of going to Chicago," Hudson told the magazine, according to Us.
"I flew out to see him; that's why I'm still here. I've never said that before, and I can't believe I just said that now. But I didn't know. He was just like, 'I'm going to this wrestling thing, and it's in Tampa. I'm going out there now, so you can come out there and see me versus going home.'"
Hudson's former brother-in-law, William Balfour, was convicted of the murders in her family in 2012.
Hudson, who was a finalist on American Idol's third season back in 2004, currently serves as a coach on The Voice's thirteenth season alongside Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, and Blake Shelton.
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The Top 12 contestants begin the live shows next week on NBC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski