It's been a rough few weeks for Glory Johnson. Earlier this month — just one day after the Tulsa Shock athlete announced she was pregnant — her wife, fellow WNBA star Brittney Griner, filed to annul their 28-day marriage. Griner opened up about the split to ESPN last week, and now Johnson is breaking her silence.
"I am truly really saddened by the recent turn of events and was not expecting to have our marriage end so abruptly," the 24-year-old wrote in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, June 15, adding that she wanted to address "inaccurate statements" about her marriage and pregnancy.
She went on to clarify that she'd been impregnated via IVF, using her egg and a donor's sperm. "At no stage was Brittney pressured to undertake the fertility process," she stated. "In fact, throughout the entire process, Brittney was a willing participant, consenting and signing all the necessary documents that needed to be signed in order to move forward with the treatments."
Johnson also contended Griner's claim that she was "pressured" into the marriage. "In addition, while we may have both had our reservations, we both willfully and joyfully walked down the aisle together and decided to get married," she told Us.
Now that Griner, 24, has changed her mind, however, Johnson is having to start over. "I am ready to begin focusing on my health, pregnancy, and am going to remain in Tulsa to continue to build my relationship with the Tulsa Shock organization, and my teammates," the Oklahoma resident continued. "I appreciate the support of my fans, family, and loved ones and look forward to returning to the basketball court as soon as I can."
Griner, for her part, told ESPN on June 8 that marrying Johnson was a "huge mistake," and that she had doubts about their relationship even before the wedding. "Prior to us getting married, I knew I shouldn't have went through with it, and i talked to Glory about it, but sometimes you feel pressured into things," she said.
"With everything going on — counseling, classes — it just wasn't the right way to start off a marriage," she continued. "I wanted to take time to get myself right."
As previously reported, Griner filed for annulment on June 5, just 28 days after she and Johnson tied the knot. In documents obtained by TMZ, she claimed their marriage was based on "fraud and duress."
