Last week, supermodel Chanel Iman announced she would become an NFL player’s wife – again.
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel shared the news of her recent engagement to New England Patriots’ defensive tackle Davon Godchaux in an Instagram post on May 30.
“The blessings keep pouring, grateful for this new chapter and soon to be married and a forever to go,” Iman wrote in the caption of the post, which included a picture of Godchaux down on one knee popping the question in Capri, Italy.
Godchaux also expressed how happy he was about the engagement. He admitted he was “nervous as hell” about asking for her hand in marriage — something he never saw himself doing.
“I never thought I would be getting down on one knee but LOVE will make you do some amazing things in life! Chanel I love you so much and I wouldn’t have rather spend this moment with no one else by my side!” Godchaux wrote.
He then complimented the mother of two for how she values “having a family” and vowed to always stand by her side, “We are in this together and will always be.”
Iman, 32, and Godchaux, 28, first went public with their relationship in April 2022 during Coachella. Since then, the duo have gushed over how much they love each other on social media.
Many have shown their support for the couple, who are also expecting their first child together, a girl. Some expressed excitement at Iman and Godchaux officially blending their families because they each have children from previous marriages.
One fan said, “Chanel iman is my spirit animal . Babe moved on so fast wow.”
“Chanel Iman divorced that man, moved on and having another baby so quick. Love that for her,” wrote another. “She seems to be so happy.”
Iman is the mother of daughters Cali, 4, and Cassie, 3, cildren she shares with her ex-husband, New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard. Godchaux is the father of 7-year-old Davon II.
While there were countless well-wishers, some noted how quickly Iman got engaged after finalizing her divorce from Shepard. Iman and Shepard got married in March 2018, but jointly filed for divorce in June 2021 citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on April 28 of this year.
Shepard’s mother, Cheri Shepard, was among those who believed Iman moved on with dating Godchaux too fast and particularly before her divorce was final. She expressed those sentiments in July 2022 while commenting on a photo Iman posted on Instagram of the couple’s children at the beach together.
“She is still married. This is ridiculous,” Cheri wrote in a now-deleted comment. “Signed, concerned grandmother.”
Iman and Shephard were reportedly separated at the time in pursuit of the divorce. The former couple have yet to reveal details about their split or comment on the dissolution of their marriage.
However, Iman isn’t the first high-profile woman to move on swiftly after ending a marriage or relationship. Kimora Lee Simons, Lori Harvey, Jennifer Lopez, Erykah Badu and Kim Kardashian are all known for their lightning-fast ability to move on after public breakups.
Simmons ended her seven-year marriage to Russell Simmons, the father of her two oldest daughters in 2006. She began dating “Blood Diamond” actor Djimon Hounsou in 2007, two years before her divorce from the music mogul was finalized in 2009. That same year, the Baby Phat founder and Hounsou welcomed a son, Kenzo Lee.
The former supermodel was also accused of moving on too quickly after breaking up with Hounsou in 2012 and dating now-disgraced former banker Tim Leissner in 2013. Kimora and Leisner exchanged vows in 2014 and welcomed a son, Wolfe, the following year.
Their marriage was reportedly found to be invalid by February 2022 after Leissner was found to still be married to another woman.
Harvey’s dating history is also a big topic of discussion due to dating some of the most sought-after men in the entertainment industry. Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter has been linked to various wealthy men but has only had public relationships with the likes of Dutch soccer player Memphis Depay from 2016 to 2018 and rapper Future, whom she dated briefly for eight months in 2020.
But the relationship that had the internet in an uproar is Harvey’s year-and-a-half-long coupling with Hollywood heartthrob Michael B. Jordan. Harvey and Jordan confirmed their relationship after going Instagram official in January 2021. The two split in June 2022 and eight months later Harvey revealed her new relationship with British actor Damson Idris on Instagram. People initially viewed their PDA-filled posts as publicity stunts, but the couple seems to still be going strong.
The SKN by Lori Harvey founder has been unapologetic in her ability to move on to the next and she’s been very vocal about her intention to choose herself.
“It’s not about being arrogant or about feeling like I’m too good, or too this or too that,” Harvey told Essence in a December 2022 interview. “I know my worth, and I know my value. I’m not going to compromise that, or settle, or accept anything less than what I know I deserve.”
At the time, the Memphis native admitted she was “being a little selfish” while still trying to “figure it out” when it comes to her love life.
“Everything ain’t for everybody. But what I would love for people to know is that I am a young woman just trying to figure it out — but I’m trying to figure it out in the public eye,” Harvey continued.
Neo-soul goddess Erykah Badu is also known for snagging some of the most eligible bachelors and then moving on after breaking up. Her relationships last between a few months to five years though only three produced children.
Badu dated Outkast emcee Andre 3000, the father of her son Seven, from 1996 to 1997 and Common from 2000 to 2002. The following year she had ties with rapper The D.O.C., with whom she shares a daughter Puma, who was born in 2004.
That same year, the “Bag Lady” singer began dating New Orleans emcee Jay Electronica, the father of her youngest daughter, Mars Merkaba. They dated from 2004 to 2009. Five years later, she was reportedly dating “The Boondocks” producer Carl Jones, but they parted ways in 2018.
The 52-year-old also made headlines over her relationship with her then-27-year-old fiancé, JaRon Adkison, in 2021. The pair reportedly broke up earlier this year in February.
Jennifer Lopez is also notorious for how quickly she moves on romantically. Her relationship timeline includes Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998; Cris Judd from 2001 to 2002; Ben Affleck from 2002 to 2004; Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014; Alex Rodriguez from 2017 to 2021; and now Affleck again.
Lopez said her “relationship journey has been very up and down” in a 2019 interview with Harper’s Bazaar. She noted that it was more about “figuring out” herself and what she truly wanted.
“Until you learn to love yourself, you can’t completely love [someone else] in a way that is pure and true. Once you do that, you can have relationships that are based on love and respect, that are supportive and nourishing,” Lopez told the outlet. “There’s an evolution there that had to happen for me. I feel like I’m in a better place now.”
The singer and actress tied the knot with Affleck in July 2022 after reuniting in April 2021.
Kim Kardashian has also faced criticism for her nearly three-month marriage to basketball player Kris Humpries in 2011. She began dating Kanye West in 2012, though her divorce wasn’t final until April 2013.
The SKIMS founder went on to marry West and welcome four kids with him. Nearly eight months after filing for divorce in March 2021, she went public with her relationship with “SNL” comedian Pete Davidson. Kim and Pete dated for nine months and split in August 2022. She finalized the divorce with the father of her children two months later in October.
Serial dating has become fairly common, and most people date as many partners as they would like.
But are these women moving on too soon? Or realizing their worth? And a bigger question: What is considered too soon to move on after ending a relationship?
For each person the answer is different. Some people believe one should take the necessary time to heal as opposed to jumping from partner to partner. However, others point out that everyone heals differently and a new relationship does help bring healing sometimes.
Both things can be true depending on who you ask. Badu shared her methodology for how to move on after a break-up in a video she uploaded to Twitter in 2015.
“My best advice for moving on in a relationship is you gotta go all the way through it, you know? If you’re not — if you don’t want to let go yet — keep on calling and getting hung up on him. Keep on following him around and getting embarrassed.”
She continued, “When you get tired enough, you’ll evolve, I promise. But you gotta go all the way through it. You gotta get your weave snatched out a couple of times. You gotta keep moving, go through it. You’ll evolve. It’ll happen.”
Research studies show that women value their happiness, success, and worth over being miserable in a relationship. A national research study prepared by Avvo reports that 73 percent of women have no regrets about a breakup or marriage that ended in divorce.
Other studies reveal that woman’s ability to confront and deal with their emotions, which allows them to heal much faster from heartbreak than men.
“At some point, clearly, women get over a breakup,” says Craig Morris, a research associate at Binghamton University in New York. “They will discuss in great detail the pain, the suffering, the misery, but they are talking about it in the past.”
Whereas most men tend to take awhile to process the demise of the relationship ending.
“When you talk to a man about a breakup, you can see he is still there. The anger. The disappointment. There was never any end to this for him,” Morris continued. “Most men never use the phrase, ‘I got over it.'”
