Karl-Anthony Towns Credits Jordyn Woods For Helping Him Deal With The Loss Of His Mom
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has had to deal with numerous devastating losses over the course of two years due to COVID-19. On April 13, 2020, his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns passed away from the novel virus. He had several close family members pass from COVID-19 as well. And, in the beginning of 2021, Karl also contracted the virus and ended up in the hospital.
However, through all the grief, his girlfriend, model Jordyn Woods, stood by his side. The professional ball player spoke with Taraji P. Henson on her Facebook Watch show Peace of Mind with Taraji about struggling with the death of eight family members to COVID-19 and how Jordyn was there for him.
Karl recalled the moment he went to the hospital after realizing his mother may die due to a blood clot, which is a known symptom of COVID-19.
"I flew in, I put the hazmat suit on and everything, and I went in there, because I was like, 'If anyone's going to see her out, I'm going to see her out.' I knew it was going to be the last time, so I was kind of working that out."
He continued:
"That day changed me as a man. I'm never going to get that innocent young boy back. That's gone. ... Ever since that day, I feel like the world just made me a little colder. It took what was most valuable to me, so I don't have that kind of feeling for it."
While the death of his mom had a huge impact on him, there is another woman he acknowledged that meant a lot to him and that woman is Jordyn.
"A woman that meant so much to me in my life left my life to be replaced by another woman to take that spot," he said.
He went on to discuss how the 24-year-old was there for him during that tragic time in his life.
"It's crazy because we were best friends. I feel, like, in a way, when my mom passed, she said, 'I'm not going to leave you alone. I'ma make sure you know who you're supposed to be with.' ... I leaned on her because she's one of the only people who actually know how I was feeling and what I was going through because she was super close with her father just like I was super close with my mother."
Jordyn lost her father, John Woods, to cancer in January 2017.
Karl and Jordyn have been exclusive for a little over a year and have supported each other through hard times.
In February 2021, the 25-year-old surprised Jordyn on her dad's birthday with flowers, gifts and a poem about fatherhood. She captioned the post, "today my dad would've been 61♥️ thank you for thinking of me always in the sweetest ways @karltowns ! Happy Birthday Daddy 👼🏽."
Featured image by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Coin Cloud
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Exclusive: Koryn Hawthorne On Her Miraculous Love Story: ‘I Was Never A Girlfriend’
Gospel singer Koryn Hawthorne has used her voice to let the world know about what God can do, and now the Season 8 finalist of NBC’s The Voice is sharing a miraculous act that led to her engagement.
The Praise This actress shared in an interview with xoNecole that prior to becoming engaged to her partner, Hunter Register, she passed over one particular title on her way to becoming a fiancée.
“I was never a girlfriend,” Hawthorn, 26, tells xoNecole.
“We've known each other since we were kids, so we just kind of always had this distant friendship. We would hit each other up on social media, and [I] slide up under things that he was posting,” she says. “We ended up hanging out together, and when we hung out, it was an instant immediate connection from all fronts. I think we just knew from the first day that I don't want to spend a day apart from you.”
Koryn Hawthorne On Her Miraculous Love Story, New Album, & More
She continued, "And yeah, we probably were boyfriend or girlfriend after — am I delusional? Then we were engaged a few months later.”
The Grammy-nominated singer, who became engaged in November of 2023, went on to share what her experience has been preparing to become a wife, exploring the personal growth, challenges, and emotions experienced throughout the process.
“It's a journey, I'm not gonna lie,” she says. “Relationships, in general, are hard, and whenever you think about marriage, is just different from being boyfriend and girlfriend because if you piss me off, I could just go,” she shared. “But marriage is an actual commitment. It's a partnership. It's a ministry.”
Hawthorne, 26, and Register, 27, were childhood friends growing up in Louisiana and sealed their love during a weekend getaway in New Orleans last fall.
For the gospel star, marriage involves more than lovely-dovey aspects, emphasizing how her relationship has allowed her to grow, mature, and learn valuable lessons through love.
“We were supposed to get married in May, but like for us to be mature enough to be like, ‘You know what? No, let's take the necessary time to make sure that we're fully prepared for this commitment such a beautiful thing,” Hawthorne reflected.
“It's a learning curve for sure, but our preparation for marriage would have been the only thing that brought this out of me. It's hard and it's scary at times, but it's God's purpose and His plan for our lives.”
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Featured image by Dia DipasupilGetty Images