Former NFL Athlete And Model Fiancee Nicole Murphy Split

The former NFL athlete and the model called off their 5-year engagement because of the distance.

Michael Strahan and Nicole Murphy ended their relationship on Friday, August 1, after being engaged for 5 years. The former couple called it off just one day before Strahan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Distance was apparently a contributing factor in the decision. A representative for the former football star told PEOPLE in a statement, “They love each other very much, but with the distance and work schedule it has been hard to maintain the relationship.”

The “Live! with Kelly and Michael” host started dating Murphy in 2007. Strahan was previously married to Jean Muggli while Murphy’s a former wife of Eddie Murphy. Strahan and Murphy got engaged in 2009. The two have nine children between them and have kept quite about their personal lives throughout the relationship.

In a recent interview with Ebony magazine, Strahan revealed that Murphy was the perfect woman for him because the 46-year-old beauty was very family-oriented. The “Good Morning America” co-host said, “It’s great. As a divorced man, you just want somebody around your kids who’s respectful and will treat them like her own. When you understand that, there’s never any issue. We laugh and are at graduations and birthday parties, you know… all that stuff.”

The former New York Giants star continued, “I love the kids and the family. For us, it’s key that we maintain normalcy. We have a great life. People can buy into their own celebrity, and that’s a dangerous thing.”