*The above photo is from the US Open, just a few weeks ago. The woman beside Latifah is allegedly named Eboni Nichols.

By most accounts, Queen Latifah was in a very solid, stable relationship with a personal trainer named Jeanette Jenkins. In the past few years, Latifah and Jeanette were even photographed together with more frequency, and there were even reports that Latifah and Jeanette wanted to start a family together. Last year, the two of them even went to Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz’s wedding, the paparazzi even got photos of Latifah and Jeanette frolicking on a yacht. Like this:

So… sad news. It seems like Latifah and Jeanette have called it quits after eight years together. Worse news: Latifah might have lined up her jumpoff before she and Jeanette were really over. The jumpoff lady is named Eboni Nichols, and Eboni and Latifah have had a close friendship for a while now. She might have been the unidentified woman in last year’s suspicious photos of Latifah in Barcelona. Here’s more from the Enquirer:

After an eight-year relationship, Queen Latifah has split with her lover and is stepping out with her choreographer, say sources. Eboni Nichols is dancing her way into Queen Latifah’s life on the heels of Latifah’s breakup with longtime galpal Jeanette Jenkins.

“Latifah and Jeanette had lots of problems,” said an insider. “Their arguments were tearing them apart. But it was the Queen’s long-time friendship and professional relationship with Eboni that eventually drove a wedge between her and Jeanette. Even though they’ve broken up and gotten back together before, this time it definitely seems like the end.”

Latifah, 41, and Eboni, 33, have been friends since 2009, when Eboni choreographed a guest appearance by the Queen on Dancing with the Stars. Even though Latifah and Jeanette were arm-in-arm at the 2010 BET Awards and the two spent time together that summer on a yacht off the Italian coast, weeks later the Queen and Eboni were together, enjoying a trip to Barcelona, Spain.

Latifah always insisted that she and Eboni were “just friends” – but personal trainer Jeanette was not buying it.

“Needless to say, Jeanette was not very happy about their relationship,” said the source. “And she let Latifah know about it in no uncertain terms.”

Jeanette and Latifah are remaining cordial in the wake of their recent breakup, say sources: “Their relationship had been rocky for a while, and during one of their ‘breaks’ Latifah spent time with Eboni… still, it was hard for her to end her relationship with Jeanette.”

[From The Enquirer, print edition]

It sounds like Latifah was stepping out whenever she and Jeanette were having problems, but I’ll also buy that Latifah and Jeanette were having problems beyond “another woman”. There’s always more to the story. Still, if this is even partially true, I feel like Latifah mistreated Jeanette to a certain extent. Sad.

Here’s a recent photo of Jeanette from a few weeks ago… she’s cute.

More of Latifah and Eboni (allegedly).

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, archived Bauer-Griffin photo from 2010.