Lupita Nyong'o Confirms She's Single and Shouts Out Her Cat After Joshua Jackson Steps Out with Model

"If I'm ever so lucky to be in a romantic relationship again, it'll be because of him,” Lupita Nyong'o said of her cat Yoyo

Lupita Nyong'o is single again.

While Nyong'o, 41, spoke with Harper's Bazaar UK for an interview published Wednesday, Oct. 9 to promote her new movie The Wild Robot, the actress appeared to confirm she is no longer dating Joshua Jackson as she espoused her love for her cat, Yoyo.

“My love for my cat is singular. If I'm ever so lucky to be in a romantic relationship again, it'll be because of him,” she told the outlet. “I was ready to shut that door and lock it and bolt it. He has ensured that my heart remains open.”

Nyong'o notably adopted Yoyo shortly after she announced her October 2023 split from ex-boyfriend Selema Masekela. Around that same time, she and actor Jackson, 46, first sparked dating rumors after spending time together at a concert in Los Angeles after Jodie Turner-Smith filed for divorce from Jackson following three years of marriage due to “irreconcilable differences.” 

Jackson and Nyong'o appeared to spend a significant amount of time together over the last year, including a PDA-filled weekend spent together in Mexico to celebrate Nyong'o's birthday in March. However, speculation that the pair had gone their separate ways peaked after Jackson was seen spending time in New York City with model Nastassja Roberts in late September.

Related: Why Lupita Nyong'o Decided to 'Return' to Her Kenyan Accent After Masking It as Young Actress: 'Being an African Is Enough'

Reps for Jackson, Roberts and Nyong’o did not respond to requests for comment from PEOPLE at that time.

While Nyong'o did not further address her relationship with Jackson while speaking with Harper's Bazaar, she did appear to still have her 2023 breakup from Masekela, a musician and sports broadcaster, on her mind.

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“You go through a lot of like, ‘Why? What were the signs? Why didn't I see them? And if I did, why didn’t I act on them?’ " Nyong'o told the outlet of the aftermath of breakups. "Also, replaying moments and thinking, ‘Oh, I felt this apprehension, and I ignored it. Why did I ignore it?’ It can get toxic to beat yourself up about a past you can't change, but it’s also an opportunity to learn about yourself.”

Related: Lupita Nyong'o Recalls Impact of Seeing The Lion King as a Kid: 'Swahili in a Disney Movie … Blew My Mind' (Exclusive)

Nyong'o has previously said that she simply "wanted to be honest" with the world when she publicly announced her split from Masekela. She told Harper's Bazaar that she does not plan on remaining that public about her dating life moving forward.

“It’s hard enough to go through heartbreak privately," she said. "When the world has an image of you in relation to someone else, it prolongs the healing process because the memory is emblazoned in the public domain.”

Nyong'o's new animated movie, The Wild Robot, is in theaters now.

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