Tisha Campbell is the star of the new Netflix series Uncoupled, and she can certainly relate to it. Off-camera, the actress has experienced uncoupling after filing to end her marriage to Duane Martin in 2018. The divorce was finalized in 2020.
In an interview with Ebro in the Morning to promote the show, she opened up about what it was like to try and move forward following the demise of a relationship that lasted more than 20 years and brought her two children. As expected, it came with plenty of hurdles and soul-searching.
“One of the things that goes through your mind is who am I outside of this person? I took marriage, my wifely duties…and being a mother, that was at the forefront of everything. Career came second. I had to find myself,” she shared.
“Going through and navigating and rediscovering one’s self outside of the labels is one of the most devastating things one can go through in a relationship. But it’s a beautiful devastation,” she added. “Because when you’re going through it, you actually go through the five stages of grief. Then all of a sudden there’s an awakening. There’s an, ‘I can do this. I can navigate.'”
The star admitted things were “really bad” for about a year and a half. Not only did her marriage end, but so did friendships.
“It was complete devastation,” she said. “It was disbelief, it was anger at times. It was literally five stages of grief, and then there was more than acceptance. It was acceptance of myself, I’m stronger than I really knew, and it was getting rid of any baggage, setting boundaries for myself.”
Campbell credits her sons and her faith for helping her overcome such rough times, saying that when she thought she had nothing, she was reminded that that wasn’t the case.
“God kept giving me something. He kept paving the way for me and kept gifting me all these wonderful miracles,” she recalled. “I never understood what faith was until I was at absolute zero. I thought faith was getting on your knees, praying and getting up and doing the work until I could not do anything and my hands were tied behind my back, or up in the air, and there was nothing I could do. That’s when I understood, things were going to work out because He’s going to work it out.”
In addition to being a star of the new Netflix series, these days she’s valuing the people who stood by her when the going got tough. “I might have four friends I kick it with period, and I’m good with that,” she told the hosts. “I’m so good with that because they’re genuine.”
She added of this next chapter in her life, “Now I’m in such a joyful, spiritual place in my life. I’m feeling really good about where I am and where I’m taking my family.”