Lamar Odom ruined his secret relationship with Taraji P. Henson by cheating on Empire star: 'God gave me a layup and I blew it'
Lamar Odom blames his cheating for ending a secret relationship he had with actress Taraji P. Henson more than 10 years ago.
The 39-year-old NBA veteran/reality star said in his new tell-all, Darkness to Light, that he was romantically involved with the Empire star, 48, prior to his marriage to Khloe Kardashian.
In the book, Odom said that he and the stunning Washington, D.C. native, who plays Cookie Lyon on the Fox series, met and 'ended up exchanging numbers' - and that sparks flew between the duo.
Revelation: Lamar Odom, 39, blames his cheating for ending a secret relationship he had with actress Taraji P. Henson, 48, more than 10 years ago. He made the reveal in his new tell-all, Darkness to Light
'She was just such a wise woman that she could see through whatever smooth act I was trying to put on. She refused to be just another conquest, and truthfully, I didn’t want her to be.'
The Queens, New York native, who spent 15 years in the NBA, the majority on the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers franchises, said he and Henson 'started secretly dating and quickly fell in love.'
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'I don’t think I ever connected with another black woman,' he said, 'as deeply as I did Taraji.'
He said he and Henson spent lots of time with one another, and began meeting each other's family and friends.
On the promotional trail: Odom has appeared on a number of programs, including ABC's Good Morning America, in speaking about his new book
No frills: Odom said of Henson, 'She was just such a wise woman that she could see through whatever smooth act I was trying to put on'
'She introduced me to her fourteen-year-old son, Marcel, and was at my house nearly every day,' he wrote. 'Sometimes she’d bring some of her Hollywood friends, like actress Sanaa Lathan who starred in Love And Basketball.'
Odom said things went by the wayside when he cheated on Henson, noting, 'I felt guilty, but I was craving immediate sex.'
He reflected on the blown relationship with a sense of regret, writing, 'Things were amazing, but of course, God gave me a layup and I blew it.'
Odom was married to Khloe Kardashian from September 27, 2009 until Khloe's separation filing in December of 2013; the divorce was finalized in December of 2016.
Gorgeous: Odom said he 'quickly fell in love' with the What Men Want actress
Up and down romance: Lamar and then-wife Khloe Kardashian were seen in 2010 during the heyday of their marriage
In the book, Odom also admitted to routinely cheating on the youngest of the Kardashian sisters so frequently he couldn't keep track of the number of times.
'I had broken my vows with Khloé so many times it's just impossible for me to remember them all,' he said. 'I don't know why Khloé stayed with me.'
Darkness to Light is available now.
