Ashanti
and
Nelly
are proving that the second time’s the charm. The singer and rapper, who rekindled their longtime, on-again, off-again romance last year after calling it quits in 2013, have become inseparable since they sent the R&B world into a frenzy after being
spotted together
for the first time last year.
Ashanti, 43, and Nelly, 49, have come a long way since they began their relationship in 2003. The pair had a tumultuous romance, which at one point the rapper claimed was „based in the media,“ before officially calling it quits in 2013. Although they played coy about their status for years, Ashanti confirmed in March 2015 that they were a couple until two years prior.
A decade later, the two unexpectedly reconnected while performing for Power 98.3 and 96.1’s Under the Mistletoe concert, which led to massive speculation that their undeniable chemistry was due to them rekindling their relationship. And, although the GRAMMY winners tried to keep a low profile with their renewed romance, keen eyes continually spotted the duo out and about as they appeared alongside each other.
In September 2023, the „Dilemma“ emcee
officially confirmed that the pair was back together
. During an interview with
Love and Hip Hop
’s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost, he admitted that rekindling their romance was a „surprise“ for both of them.
„It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned,“ he shared, adding that he believes time apart played a role in their rekindled relationship. „I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more. You be like, ‚Yo, let me see exactly what they see.‘ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.“
Things progressed from there, and in April 2024, ET confirmed the couple were engaged on the same day that
Ashanti announced
they were also expecting their first child together!
Keep reading for a rundown of the who, what, where and when of Nelly and Ashanti’s relationship, from their first meeting to their recent reconciliation.