Blair Underwood is ENGAGED! Star set to wed friend of 41 years Josie Hart

Blair Underwood is engaged to be married – 18 months after his divorce from Desiree DaCosta.

The longtime actor, 58, revealed that he is ready to tie the knot with Josie Hart, his boyfriend of 41 years.

He wrote on Instagram, “My personal highlight was walking the red carpet with my new fiancé Josie Hart.

New love: Blair Underwood is engaged to longtime boyfriend Josie Hart a year and a half after his split from Desiree DaCosta

He gushed to his 232,000 followers: “The most amazing, brilliant, beautiful, hilarious, thought provoking and insightful person I know who lives out loud all the time.”

Looking ahead, he said, “The future is insanely bright girl! None of us ever knows where God will guide our ways.”

The father-of-three briefly shed light on the history of his relationship when he added, “She’s been supportive of me since before I even became an actor.

“When a 41-year friendship hits you in the back of the head and blossoms into romance, you stand up, pay attention and step forward in gratitude. Gently forward. It begins! #trinilife.’

Former flame: In May 2021, the old spouses shared that they were getting divorced after 27 years of marriage

Underwood married DaCosta in 1994, the same year his hit legal drama LA Law came to an end after eight seasons.

On May 31, 2021, the pair shocked fans with a joint announcement that they were separating.

In a lengthy post shared via Instagram, they said they would remain “best friends” and continue to focus on their children – Paris, 25, Brielle, 23, and Blake, 21.

The statement read: “After tremendous thought, prayer and work on ourselves, individually and collectively, we have come to the conclusion of ending our marriage, which began 27 years ago.”

Past Life: The former couple attended the 2016 Tony Awards in New York City together

The post continued, “Our proudest achievements are our three children. Three souls that God has entrusted to us. We remain impressed and humbled by the blessings of parenthood.

“We have always put their interests first and will continue to do so. We will remain the best of friends and co-parents and have the utmost respect for each other as we separately embark on this new chapter of our lives.

Blair then thanked his fans for their “support over the years” and asked for “privacy and understanding during this new season of change.”

Announcement: In a lengthy post shared via Instagram in 2021, the former couple said they would remain “best friends” and continue to focus on their children — Paris, 25, Brielle, 23, and Blake, 2; seen with their children in 2006

Reflecting on his parents’ decades-long marriage in 2008, he called them his “heroes in love,” and said they taught him that relationships can be “long-lasting and powerful.”

Underwood saw his father serving as the breadwinner of the family and said he wanted to be his wife’s “rock, her protector.”

“If she had a problem, I wanted to solve it. I thought that was expected of me,” he told the outlet.

But a vulnerable conversation with his spouse led him to discover that his then-wife didn’t need him to solve her problems, but instead to listen when she vented.

The star concluded, “I was relieved that she didn’t expect me to always have an answer for her. She didn’t come to me for a repair.’

Young Love: Blair and Desiree at the 1992 Los Angeles premiere of White Men Can’t Jump