Gabrielle Union insists on a prenup before marrying Dwyane Wade

Gabrielle Union told a chat show host that she has insisted on a prenuptial agreement before marrying basketball star Dwyane Wade who was recently accused of physical abuse by his ex-wife.

The 41-year-old actress appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show on Monday and said her marriage to 32-year-old Wade would include a prenup - at her insistence.

Hall opened the marriage topic by commenting on the gigantic 8.5 carat cushion cut diamond ring that Wade gave her in December when he proposed.

Gabrielle's first marriage to American football player Chris Howard ended in divorce and she said her marriage to Wade would be different, according to an article on Wednesday by People.

'The biggest difference between this and the last marriage will be a prenup – at my insistence,' she said to applause from the audience.

'When you have your own stuff you don't need to worry about anybody else's stuff, so everyone should go into the relationship knowing I'm here for you and you're here for me,' Gabrielle explained.

'And the reality is, I've never seen Dwyane balance a checkbook, so I have to protect mysef,' she added.

In other legal matters, Wade's ex-wife Siohvaughn Wade accused the Miami Heat star of physical abuse while they were married, according to an article on Wednesday by RadarOnline.com.

Wade married his high school sweetheart Siohvaughn in 2002 and filed for divorce from her in 2007

The divorce was finalised in 2010 after a long and acrimonious battle but both sides continue to wrangle in court over the fallout.

Siohvaugn in her court filing said that Wade became increasingly violent following their wedding after they moved out of her mother's house.

'As Dwyane Wade's income increased his arrogance and pride increased as well. Dwyane Wade began to call me derogatory names more, throw things at me, hit me, take all my money from me, and even kicked me out of the house causing me not to have a place to live,' she alleged in the court documents.

Wade has sued Siohvaughn for defamation in another case and has denied her recent accusations.

Siohvaughn in her filing said that she discovered Dwyane was cheating on her, so she got tested for STDs and found that he had given her one.

The court documents also alleged that Wade has used his money and influence 'to exert power and control over' her.

She claimed that Wade paid her attorney hundreds of thousands of dollars to accept a divorce settlement that she did not approve.

A judge recently sided with Siohvaugn's claim regarding the couple's marital home she was awarded as part of the divorce settlement.

She failed to refinance the property as ordered by the court and Wade filed a motion to find her in contempt for allowing the home to risk foreclosure.

Siohvaughn filed documents last month saying she has fallen behind on payments because various companies with which Wade has endorsements have failed to deposit his earnings into a court-ordered mutual account and have been routing payments directly to Wade instead.

The judge denied Wade's motion to find Siohvaugn in contempt and both sides will meet on February 28 to discuss selling the home or refinancing it.

Wade was granted sole custody in 2011 of his 11-year-old son Zaire and six-year-old son Zion with Siohvaughn. He also has an infant son with his longtime friend Aja Metoyer who was born in November before he proposed to Gabrielle.