Actress Taraji P. Henson ended her engagement to former NFL player Kelvin Hayden in October 2020. Since then, the “Empire” star has been on a journey to bettering both her physical and mental health.
During a recent interview with “Extra” host Cheslie Kryst, the 50-year-old talked about her Facebook Watch show “Peace of Mind.” The star also shared how therapy has helped her deal with suicidal thoughts during the pandemic, and how it’s also helped her cope with her breakup from Hayden.
“Well, you know, you take each moment,” Henson explained. “It’s not like I wake up every day and I’m happy but thank God I’m, I’m in therapy… and because I’m in therapy, I can now identify when I’m about to start to tip down.”
When asked when she’d be ready to jump back into the dating pool, the “Hidden Figures” star admitted that dating was the “last thing” she was worried about.
“I don’t mean that in a negative way, but I’ve always been the type of woman that when I get out of a relationship, I need to process,” she continued. “We were going to get married! That was five years of my life. I don’t just go, ‘Ohhhh. Okay. Next.’ I can’t, and I’m not judging — that’s just my process.”
The suspicion surrounding the status of Henson and Hayden’s relationship began to brew after the former Colts player was missing during Henson’s 50th birthday celebration in September 2020.
A month later, during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” the “Baby Boy” actress confirmed the news that her engagement from the former athlete was indeed called off. At the time, Henson said, “I haven’t said it yet, but it didn’t work out.”
She continued, “You know what I mean, and I tried. I was like therapy, let’s do the therapy thing, but if you’re both not on the same page with that, then you feel like you’re taking it on yourself. And that’s not a fair position for anybody to play in a relationship.”
The actress revealed there was some personal growth that both parties had to make, and “when one person is taking on the weight of the entire relationship, it’s never going to work.”
Henson and Hayden got engaged in 2018 after three years of dating. The former couple had initially planned to tie the knot in April, but the wedding was pushed back several times due to scheduling conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic.
