Professor Green was overcome with emotion as he opened up about the painful end of his relationship with ex-partner Karima McAdams — admitting he still carries the heartbreak of what their family was meant to be.
The rapper, 42, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, became tearful during Monday night’s episode of Celebs Go Dating as he spoke honestly about co-parenting, fatherhood and the emotional weight of separation.
Stephen visited the agency for a feedback session with relationship experts Anna Williamson and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, after discussing his recent date.
But the conversation quickly took a more serious turn when Anna gently asked whether he was still carrying strong emotions connected to his current ex, Karima.
Stephen did not try to hide the truth.
“Absolutely,” he replied, before revealing just how deeply the split had affected him.
He said: “I have a photograph in my head of what my son’s family was going to look like. That was my family too. That’s so tough.”
The rapper then admitted there had been moments when he had wondered whether the relationship could somehow be repaired for the sake of their son.
“There are times I have been, ‘Can we just not f***ing sort it out?!’” he said.
Professor Green and Karima were together between 2019 and 2024. The former couple welcomed their son, Slimane Ray, in March 2021, and later became engaged in October of the same year.
But in April 2024, it was revealed that the pair had gone their separate ways, although they continue to co-parent their young son.
During the emotional Celebs Go Dating session, Anna asked Stephen whether it was fair to say that he was emotionally complex.
“Aw man, it will never not be,” he told her. “Now that we’re co-parenting, and people don’t hear men talk about this, right?”
As he fought back tears, Stephen spoke openly about how difficult it is not waking up with his son every day.
He said: “I never had a kid to not wake up to him. You know, my dad f*****g ran, you know?”
The rapper then made it clear that, despite the pain, he is determined not to repeat the mistakes of his own past.
“I’m not running. Far from it,” he said.
Stephen continued: “And it’s f****ing hard. It’s so hard to put your feelings to the side and go, ‘I’m going to prioritise the well-being of my kid.’”
He explained that he cannot constantly show his son how upset he feels, because he wants to set the right example.
“I can’t show him how upset I am all the time,” he said.
“It’s so important that he sees good example, because you have to lead by example, and it’s not easy.”
Stephen also spoke about the pressure men often feel to hide emotion, saying there is a damaging assumption that men do not feel deeply.
“People have this assumption of men being f***ing feelingless,” he said.
He added: “Why do you think more men kill themselves? It’s because we don’t know how to tend. We don’t know how to tend.”
Anna was visibly moved by his honesty and offered him comfort, telling him that he was an “exemplary father.”
She said: “Honestly, you are an exemplary father. I know you struggle taking compliments, but you are an exemplary father. I see the work you have put in.”
Anna then explained that it made sense for Stephen to feel vulnerable while entering the dating world again, especially when he was still dealing with such deep emotions.
“I think it makes sense when you bring it into this place, into the dating world, it’s another deeply vulnerable space,” she told him.
She added that he may not yet be ready to date, but reassured him that being part of the process was still important.
“You’re just not ready yet Stephen. And that is okay,” Anna said.
“That doesn’t mean any of this process is wasted. Far from it. I think it’s so necessary for you to be here. To have this space and really recognise what your role in life.”
Stephen admitted that he still feels as though he is “firefighting” emotionally.
“Absolutely, I am still firefighting,” he said. “I just don’t want to spend my life surviving. I’ve done so much of that.”
He added: “I want to find a way to thrive.”
Anna gently replied: “You will. It takes time.”
Stephen and Karima began dating in 2019 and became parents to Slimane Ray two years later. Their engagement followed in October 2021, but by 2024 their relationship had come to an end.
At the time, a source told The Sun that Stephen and Karima had split several months earlier and were trying to move forward with their lives.
The insider said: “Stephen and Karima broke up some months ago now and are trying to move on with their lives.”
They added: “They are both devoted parents to their little boy but as a couple, their relationship has run its course.”
The source also claimed that Stephen was focusing on his music and working to build the best life possible for his son Slimane.
His latest emotional appearance comes after he previously admitted on Celebs Go Dating that he is still grieving the loss of the relationship.
In an earlier episode, Stephen told the show’s experts that he was not sure whether he was even ready to date again.
“Hands up, I’m being completely honest. I don’t know if I’m even ready to date,” he confessed.
He explained that dating again comes with feelings of guilt because he is still mourning not only the romantic relationship, but also the family unit he had imagined.
“There’s going to be feelings of guilt around all of this,” he said.
“I am still grieving the loss of my relationship and not just for me. For our family and for our son.”
He said those feelings of confusion and loss also affect his son, which makes the situation even harder to process.
“For those feelings of confusion that are impacting him, which feel a hell of a lot,” he added.
The rapper’s emotional honesty also follows his recent reflections on his past marriage to Millie Mackintosh.
Professor Green and former Made In Chelsea star Millie, 36, met in 2011 and married two years later. Their marriage ended in 2016.
After years of silence and a difficult split, the pair are now back on speaking terms.
Stephen previously shared that he and Millie reconnected when she released her book Bad Drunk, which explores her decision to embrace sobriety.
He explained that Millie contacted him because he was mentioned in the book and she wanted him to be aware before it came out.
Speaking to The Sun, Stephen said: “We spoke when she was releasing a book about her being sober and we spoke around that because I was mentioned in the book and she just wanted me to know that it was coming out and it was a really respectful thing to do.”
He said the exchange was polite and friendly.
“It was very cordial, it was over email,” he said.
The former couple also found common ground after both being diagnosed with ADHD later in life following their break-up.
Stephen said they were able to laugh about the shared discovery, joking: “You’re ADHD… me too.”
Last year, the rapper confirmed that he and Millie were speaking again after nine years without contact.
Now, as Professor Green tries to step back into the dating world, his emotional appearance on Celebs Go Dating has revealed just how much he is still processing.
Behind the public persona, the music career and the television cameras, Stephen’s tears showed a father struggling with love, loss and the painful reality of co-parenting.
And while he may be searching for a way forward, his most powerful confession was clear: before he can fully open his heart again, he is still trying to heal from the family future he once imagined.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
