Princess Love may be going through a divorce with R&B star Ray J, but the reality TV actress turned poker player says the celebrity couple are still “best friends,” despite tabloid rumors.
Love, who filed for divorce from Ray J in February after eight years of marriage, spoke about the divorce filing, the fourth of their marriage, for the first time in an interview with PokerNews on board the WPT Voyage on April 5.
“We’re actually going through a divorce right now,” Love said. “But we’re family. We love each other, that’s never going to change. We’re the best of friends. He actually dropped me off at the cruise because he was in Miami, so he picked me up from the airport, dropped me off at the cruise.”
The day before the interview with Love, Ray J filed for custody of their young children Melody and Epik and requested that some of their assets be split, as US Weekly revealed on Monday. But Love told PokerNews that she and her husband are on good terms.
“We’re the best of friends. We’re always going to be family. But, unfortunately, we live two different lifestyles, and we just decided the best thing for our family is for us to do what we need to do to be happy, separately. But we’re still family.”
Life Outside Poker Podcast: Princess Love
“All I Want to Do Is Be a Mom”
The Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star also talked about first meeting Ray J in Las Vegas in 2012 (long before she was winning poker tournaments there), which she described as “kind of like a love at first sight type of thing.”
“Shortly after, I moved to LA,” she said.
Love also opened up about being a mother, something that she said gave her renewed purpose in life.
“I love being a mother. I’ve always wanted to be a mother. I felt like, that was the one thing that would, like, complete me. Some people don’t really care about having kids. Some people are like, okay, yeah, I’ll have kids, and some people like me are like, all I want to do is be a mom. And that’s me. Like, I feel like I’ve accomplished that. Everything else that I do is just a plus, you know what I mean? To feel like completely, 100% fulfilled and happy, everything I do is a plus.”
Poker Filling a Void
Love, who is from Austin, TX, was first introduced to poker by friends and family on Thanksgiving 2022. Just six months later, she won her third-ever tournament as she took down a $300 Wynn event for $11,629.
A poker natural, Love went on to finish second in the $5,000 StormX Invitational III for $80,156 in August 2023. She finished runner-up to Jonathan Little, someone whose coaching videos have helped her understand the game.
After finishing 40th in the WPT World Championship for $132,500, Love hired poker commentator Maria Ho to help take her game to the next level. It seemed to work as she took down the Celebrity Poker Tour Invitational II in February. Ho followed in Love’s footsteps by winning the third PGT offering in March.
Not only is she good at it, but poker is helping Love fill a void in her life.
“It actually fills the void that I’ve been searching for … I’ve tried everything, a clothing line, I’ve done a makeup line, I tried acting and producing. For me, I feel like poker fills that void.”
“I’m just a competitive person. Just at heart, at my soul. I’m a competitive person. And, even if I’m, like, playing a board game or playing tennis or anything has to do with competing, riding a horse like I have horses. yeah. I’m just a competitive person. I just, I love the sport. I love playing against other people … I love meeting new people. And, you know, I just, I love I’ve met so many people playing poker, and I just I love it, you know? Nobody’s nobody’s judging you. You meeting people from all walks of life.”
Love continued, “I just I love the community. I love the game, and I love making money.”
Check out the full interview with Love on the PokerNews YouTube channel.
*Photo courtesy Celebrity Poker Tour