Ever since 2001, Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s relationship has been a compelling blend of love, partnership, and artistic collaboration. With nearly 3 decades together, the couple has faced their fair share of highs and lows. However, they chose to stick by each other through it all. From cheating scandals to collaboration disagreements they have gone through everything together and come out on the other side.

However, that wasn’t the case in the 43-year-old’s previous relationships. Although she and the iconic rapper have become the power couple of the music industry over the years, one of the Diva singer’s exes revealed that he still wasn’t over his biggest fumble: cheating on the music icon.

Beyoncé’s ex regrets losing her to Jay Z

Long before Beyoncé and Jay-Z got together, the singer had a long-time boyfriend that everyone thought she would end up with. Lyndall Locke and her had been dating for 9 years, but the chef had messed up their relationship by cheating on the stunning star.

In an interview with The Sun, Locke opened up about their relationship as high school sweethearts. He admitted that they were talking about marriage but he had ruined it with his infidelity.

Beyoncé | Credits: J.ébey via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

Beyoncé was the love of my life and I was hers, so losing her is still my biggest regret ….’ I’ll be honest — it was me that messed everything up and [I] lost her forever to Jay-Z, but I deserved it. Who cheats on a woman as beautiful as Beyoncé?

Locke evidently kicked himself for fumbling something as great as Bey. However, there was not much he could do to salvage the relationship. The chef also admitted, “Well, I am that man, and it’s something that’ll always haunt me.”

Although he once blamed the singer’s global success and workaholic behavior for his series of flings, Locke has since taken responsibility for his actions. However, with Jay Z in the picture, it was too late for the chef to make amends with his long-time love.

Beyoncé chose to walk away from Locke and never turned back. However, the musician faced similar struggles with her 54-year-old husband. This time around though, the singer chose to handle it differently.

How did Jay-Z and Beyoncé overcome the cheating scandal?

For years after Jay-Z and Beyoncé, cheating rumors filled every tabloid. Although that’s all they seemed to be for years, the rapper’s infamous elevator fight with the singer’s younger sister, Solange. The scene unfolded at the 2014 Met Gala and left everyone questioning why the situation started in the first place.

In 2016, the answer came to light when the 54-year-old admitted to cheating on his wife on his album, 4:44. Shortly after that, the rapper sat down with The New York Times and opened up about his infidelity. He claimed that he’d built up walls due to issues from his childhood, which led to his shutting down and infidelity.

Beyoncé and Jay Z in 2018 | Credits: Erin McCormack via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

You have to survive. So you go into survival mode, and when you go into survival mode, what happens? You shut down all emotions. So, even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can’t connect. In my case, like, it’s deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity.

The rapper admitted that he had been in a bad place mentally and had made some bad choices. However, he also revealed the moment that the consequences of his actions truly set in. He explained, “The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone’s face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself.”

Although the couple could have chosen to split up, he and Bey chose to work on things through their music. The rapper also stated, “We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together.”

With nearly a decade having passed since the rapper’s confession, the couple have seemingly made it through to the other side. It might have been a difficult road for them, but their relationship has continued to stand the test of time.