Jason Collins‘ ex-fiancée says she was taken by surprise by the NBA star’s revelation that he is gay. Former WNBA player Carolyn Moos tells TMZ she never once suspected Collins was gay during their relationship. The couple broke up in 2009 after Collins decided he didn’t want to get married. Carolyn says Jason gave a number of reasons for ending their relationship and couldn’t understand what went wrong. She says it’s very emotional for her as a woman to have invested eight years in her dream to have a “husband, soul mate and best friend” in Jason. She says she still cares “tremendously” for him and for him to “stay true to who he really is, inside and out.”

Collins outed himself in a “Sports Illustrated” interview that’s been making headlines this week. Currently an NBA free agent, he is the first active male athlete in a major professional sports league to announce that he’s gay.