George Floyd’s girlfriend breaks down as she reveals he called her ‘mama’ too

In her tearful testimony, Courteney Ross detailed the couple's shared addiction struggle

George Floyd's girlfriend, Courteney Ross, revealed that Floyd's "pet name" for her was "Mama" as she appeared in court in Minneapolis for the murder trial of Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis Police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes as he arrested him for supposedly using a counterfeit $20 note at a shop in May last year. As Floyd lay on the ground during his arrest, he repeatedly cried out "mama," a phrase which his girlfriend-of-three years still believes referred to his mother in this instance. As reported by Vice, Ross said: "He called her ‘Mama’ too," in reference to his biological mother, who sadly died in 2018. "It’s just different the way he said it. It’s kind of hard to describe," she said. She told the court that the pair met in August 2017, and reportedly kissed the same day. Recalling the way Floyd first approached her, she said "it was so sweet." As she answered question's during Hennepin Country Courthouse, Ross reportedly broke down as she spoke about the pair's former struggle with drug addiction. “Both Floyd and I, our story, it’s a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. We both suffered from chronic pain. Mine was in my neck and his was in his back,” she told the court. The court heard that Floyd was initially prescribed painkillers for a sports-related injury, before his battle with drug addiction. "Addiction, in my opinion, is a lifelong struggle," she continued, before claiming "it’s something I’ll deal with forever." Ross told the court that they both attempted to break their addictions on several occasions.