Chelsea Handler says ending her relationship with Jo Koy was "one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do".

Chelsea Handler has opened up about her heartbreaking split from Jo Koy

Chelsea Handler has opened up about her heartbreaking split from Jo Koy

The 47-year-old TV host had known Jo for two decades but they didn't become a couple until 2021 and the romance lasted for a year before Chelsea decided she had no choice but to walk away despite previously believing she had found her "forever" partner.

Speaking on Brooke Shields' 'Now What?' podcast, she explained: "I really believed that this was my guy. I thought, 'Oh my god, I won.' Like I got everything. I have my career, I have respect, I have my family, I have so many friends, I have all of these things. And then I thought this was gonna be the person I spend my life with."

Chelsea went on: "And then, towards the end of the relationship, it just became clear that this was not my person. There were just some behaviours that we couldn't agree on … It felt to me like I would have to abandon myself, which maybe I would have been okay to do if I were 20 or 25, but I wasn't willing to do that. No matter how much I loved this person — and I loved him so much — I was not going to abandon myself ... I had to walk away from something that I really believed was gonna be a forever relationship. So that was difficult."

The 'Chelsea Lately' star added that she tried everything to make the relationship work - including couples therapy - but she eventually decided it was "futile".

She said: "I was in a lot of pain, but it was unacceptable. I said this can't happen. Our relationship just devolved, and we both could not agree on a situation or several situations, and I thought therapy could help - it did not - and I exhausted any avenue I could think of, and then I just realised this is futile."

Chelsea added: "Walking away from him was one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do."

She revealed they haven't spoken in some time and she can't see them even having a friendship again unless "there's some accountability and some responsibility taken."