How sweet can success be when your sweetness isn't by your side?

Former New York Giants player Michael Strahan and fiancé Nicole Murphy have split after five years of being engaged. A rep for Strahan stated that the reason for the split was due to each one's busy work schedules which made it difficult to sustain their relationship.

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The announcement came a day before Strahan, co-host of "Live With Kelly and Michael", was scheduled to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Strahan retired from football after 2007, after helping the Giants win their first Super Bowl victory in 20 years.

The couple has been together for seven years and still "love each other very much". The split was said to be a mutual decision and that it was amicable. No drama here, according to the two.

The 42-year old athlete started dating the 46-year old former wife of Eddie Murphy in 2007 and they subsequently became engaged in 2009.

Strahan, who doesn't like speaking about his private life too much, did reveal previously that he was really happy with Murphy, saying, "I have a great relationship and she's a great girl."

Between them, the duo has nine children. Strahan has four kids with two ex-wives, while Murphy, star of the reality show "Hollywood Exes", has five children with comedienne Eddie Murphy.

Because of the couple's careers, majority of Strahan's time was spent in New York, while Murphy had to work in Los Angeles.

Before the split, Murphy shared that they might just skip a big wedding altogether because of the stresses they were going through. "We might just have to run off and elope. We've been busy though, this has been crazy," she shared.

Murphy, a self-confessed serial cheater, denied infidelity rumors after she was seen flirting with French dancer Larry Bourgeois before the split.

TagsNFL, Michael Strahan, Nicole Murphy, Split, Hall of fame, induction