Age Gap or Ageless Love? Gabrielle Union on Dwyane Wade Family Skepticism

Gabrielle Union Dishes on Her Turbulent Relationship with NBA Star Dwyane Wade

It's been over 10 years since actress Gabrielle Union and former NBA star Dwyane Wade tied the knot, but their journey to happiness wasn't without its fair share of drama and tension. In a recent appearance on the IMO podcast, hosted by Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson, the Bring It On star opened up about the early days of their relationship and the challenges they faced.

According to Gabrielle, 52, Dwyane's mother, Jolinda, and sister, Tragil, were initially skeptical of her when she first met them. "When I first met his family, the older sisters who are closer in my age immediately got it good, we're good in the hood," she recalled. However, Gabrielle revealed that Tragil, in particular, was like a gatekeeper, tasked with keeping Dwyane on the straight and narrow.

"I'm like, but I'm not just anybody, I'm [going to be] his wife," Gabrielle said indignantly, recalling her initial interactions with Tragil. She admitted that before they got married, there were concerns about their 10-year age gap, as well as worries about her intentions. "I think before I got to the wife stage, when we were [at] the very beginning, I think, [Tragil] and his mom were like, 'What do you want? Who are you, you older lady?'"

Gabrielle explained that it took some time for Tragil and her mother-in-law to trust her. However, eventually, they all came together as a family unit. "Now it's easy because we're all on the same side," she said happily. In fact, Gabrielle joked that they even gang up on Dwyane when it comes to their shared complaints.

But it's not just Tragil and her mother-in-law who posed challenges for Gabrielle. As she revealed, there were also issues with Dwyane's past relationships. The couple initially met in 2007 but didn't start dating until two years later. They briefly broke up in early 2013, only to reconcile and get married in 2014.

Dwyane, who has three children from previous relationships, including son Zaire, 22, daughter Zaya, 17, and son Xavier, 10, with ex-wife Siovaughn Funches, and another son, Kaavia, 6, with Gabrielle, previously revealed that the hardest thing he had to do was tell Gabrielle about his child with another woman during their break. In an interview for his documentary D. Wade: Life Unexpected, Dwyane confessed that he struggled to come clean about the situation.

"I couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating from the stress of having to inform Gabrielle," he said, revealing the emotional toll it took on him. "I had a child with someone else and I had to tell her... Hardest thing I've ever had to do is man up and tell Gabrielle Union that I've had a child with somebody else."

Gabrielle also opened up about how Dwyane's previous relationships affected their own relationship. She revealed that when Tragil got married, she gained a new perspective on the challenges of being in a long-term relationship.

"She was coming into a relationship where he'd been married before and he has kids," Gabrielle explained. "And I was like, 'Not so easy is it?'... You want that grace, you give that grace and eventually, you receive that grace."

In the end, despite the ups and downs, Gabrielle and Dwyane seem to have overcome their challenges and are still going strong after over 15 years together. As Gabrielle put it, "Me and Gab just went through something that you never want to go through and we still came out of it."