Relationships June 01, 2021
Blair Underwood & Désirée DaCosta Split After 27 Years of Marriage
Instagram
After nearly three decades of marriage, Blair Underwood and Désirée DaCosta are going their separate ways.
In a joint statement posted to Instagram on Sunday, the two announced the end of their relationship.
“After a tremendous amount of thought, prayer & work on ourselves individually & collectively, we have come to the conclusion to end our marriage that began 27 years ago,” their statement began.
“It has truly been a beautiful journey. Our proudest achievements are our three incredible children. Three souls to which God entrusted us. We continue to be awed & humbled by the blessings of parenting. We have always put their best interests first & will continue to do so,” they said about their three children together: sons Paris, 24, and Blake, 19, and daughter Brielle, 22.
Despite their breakup, Underwood and DaCosta “will continue to be the best of friends and co-parents” to their children, as they have “the utmost respect for one another.”
“We thank you all for your support throughout the years & we humbly ask for privacy & understanding during this new season of change,” they concluded.
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In October 2019, the pair celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a tropical vacation to Rosewood Baha Mar in the Bahamas.
“No meetings, no deadlines. No place better than @RosewoodBahaMar,” Underwood wrote on his IG at the time.
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A year prior, Underwood honored DaCosta on Mother's Day 2018 with a touching post on his page.
“Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing & incredible mother to our three kids; Desiree. They are incredibly blessed to have you as their mother. You have given them life & shaped their lives with love, brilliance & boundless dedication. I/we are eternally grateful that you embraced God's assignment to our family. You've blessed all of our lives immeasurably. Happy Mother's Day & Wakanda Forever!” he said.
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In a 2008 piece published on Oprah.com, Underwood said he initially wanted to mold his relationship with DaCosta after his parents' relationship — in which his father was the “breadwinner” while his mother was the “caretaker.”
“I took this role to heart when I was young and feeling my way around my relationship with my wife-to-be, Desiree. I wanted to be her rock, her protector. If she had a problem, I wanted to solve it. I thought that's what was expected of me,” he wrote.
However, Underwood soon realized that he needed to let go of this “false sense of control” and to simply support DaCosta in times of need.
“She didn't expect me to always have an answer for her. She wasn't coming to me for a repair. She just needed a shoulder to cry on,” he said. “From then on, my relationship with my wife, with my mother, female friends, sisters, has opened up. They have become more honest, and we've gotten to know one another better. I'm no longer afraid to not know.”
