Ashanti and Nelly’s love story, a decade in the making, found the couple tying the knot over the weekend, completing the glorious twist in their romantic tale. The pair, who originally got together in 2003 and broke up in 2013, started dating again in 2023. On December 27, 2023, they shared their sincere vows renewing their pledge to one another. Ashanti, the groundbreaking singer-actress, shared that her dynamic with Nelly made a surprising and commendable pivot this go ’round.
Following their split, Ashanti assumed she’d never hear from Nelly again. She most definitely didn’t expect to need to have a second conversation. Fate intervened for the couple a third time when their lives crossed once more and they decided to give love another chance. Although they had never talked about marriage, the conversation changed when Ashanti became pregnant with their son. It was so central that even Nelly himself was sure he wanted to get married when he found out about the pregnancy, as the scenario goes.
Ashanti gave birth to their first child together, son Kareem Kenkaide “KK” Hayes, on July 18. The arrival of their child was significant for throwing another lifeline to their romance. Reflecting on the reunion, Ashanti admitted she was taken aback by the turn of events that eventually led them down the aisle.
"Any relationship. It could be your relationship with your parents, your kids, your homie. Does this person bring more good to your life than bad? And if they do, then great. But if they don't, then you know that you might need to remove this person from being able to get some of your time."
- Nelly
Their storied love affair has kept the public fascinated from the moment they first laid eyes on one another. Until early 2023 when they finally revealed their on-again relationship to the world! As Ashanti and Nelly just celebrated their first wedding anniversary in July, we know there were a lot of twists and turns to make it this far.
