La La Anthony Opens Up About Why Her Marriage to Carmelo Anthony Failed: 'It Is Really Hard'

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La La Anthony is revealing what led to the downfall of her relationship with ex Carmelo Anthony.

The actress and beauty entrepreneur, 40, explained during a new episode of Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast that Melo's 2011 trade from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks was the "start" of the end for the couple.

"I'm from New York so being here is nothing new. When we lived here under all of that, that's when things became complicated," she said of the move. "Now that I look back, that was kind of the start of the demise of the marriage."

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In February 2011, Melo was sent packing from Colorado when the Knicks acquired him along with fellow Nuggets players Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman. In exchange, Denver got Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, two future second-round draft picks and a 2014 first-round draft pick. And as a result, La La and Melo moved with their son Kiyan, now 15.

As La La explained to Cooper, moving to the big city came with added "scrutiny" from the media. "It is really hard. That's not the only reason things didn't work out, but things got tough with New York, just constantly being under the spotlight and people watching every little thing."

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Denver, for La La, was "laid-back," whereas New York made her feel like she had to get on a "grind." Eventually, she says she began to go "overdrive with my career."

"We had some great times. We have a beautiful son, Kiyan, who's amazing," she said. "It wasn't all bad. We had great, great times. It ended bad, but we're still friends and we co-parent great.... Life is just about lessons and going through different phases, and that was a phase in my life, a chapter in my life. And now, that chapter's over but it's never really over when you have a kid with somebody.

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The pair got engaged on Christmas Day in 2004 and married in 2010, but had been on and off since first splitting in April 2017, with La La later filing for divorce in June 2021, citing irreconcilable differences. As for if La La sees dating an athlete in her future, the Power star told Cooper that if she did, she has some limitations. "Probably not a basketball player," La La said.

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Earlier this month, the actress opened up to PEOPLE about her "Men Have Skin Too" campaign with Old Spice, explaining that her close friendship with Kelly Rowland was the "turning point" in her beauty journey. For the campaign, Anthony stars in a new commercial alongside black-ish actor Deon Cole and A Black Lady Sketch Show's Gabrielle Dennis.

"She's obsessed with skincare and making sure all of us take care of our skin and our bodies. She's always sending tips on what to do. So if you're friends with her, she's going to make sure your skin is on point – no matter what," Anthony said of Rowland, 41. "She's all about taking care of yourself and doing things to continue to nourish mind, body and soul. So when I have questions or need advice when it comes to those things, she's definitely who I call."

Having Kiyan in her home means hygiene is a "big priority," and Old Spice is making things a bit easier, she said. "I've always been a fan of Old Spice so when I got the opportunity to be a part of the campaign, I definitely wanted to jump on board. And [Kiyan's] found something that he really likes to use and loves how it makes him feel."