05 December 2023 , 18:06
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Nelly and Ashanti’s love affair has lasted for more than two decades, and now, after reconciling earlier this year, they are reportedly expecting a baby.
The 43-year-old sparked pregnancy speculation over the weekend when she attended Nelly’s Black and White Ball in St. Louis, and gently rubbed her stomach during the event. The happy couple were seen laughing when quizzed over the baby news.
The Hot In Herre hitmaker and Ashanti first began dating in 2003, after meeting at a press conference for the Grammy Award nominations, and the Only You hitmaker joked it took the rapper a “long time” to get her phone number.
READ MORE: Nelly and Ashanti rumoured to be expecting first baby together after cute onstage moment
Nelly and Ashanti denied rumours of their relationship for years (WireImage)
They dated for 10 years before calling things off (Andrew Toth/Starpix/REX/Shutterstock)While they denied they were boyfriend and girlfriend, Ashanti confessed they “went out”, but the rumour mill was going strong after the couple were spotted at a perfume launch party in 2006. Later that year, they also attended a party in Las Vegas together, but still firmly denied they were dating.
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In 2008, Ashanti teased further details of their secretive relationship, as she joked they would be getting engaged in the “near future”, even though she refused to confirm they were an item. Talking to People, she said: “Me and Nelly, we’re good friends. We kick it – hang out a lot. The industry is very hard, so it’s good to have fun and lighten it up.”
The couple reconciled earlier this year (Getty Images)The duo collaborated on the single Body on Me in 2009, and in the flirty video, they can be seen dancing and cosying up to one another, but less than one year later, Nelly dismissed rumours of their relationship, and insisted they were just friends.
“Right now we’re friends, I’m married to my work,” he told RapUp TV. “I’m married to getting things in a certain situation right now and she’s married to getting things in a certain situation right now.”
In June 2013, it was reported the couple had broken up, but determined to keep their romance low-key, Ashanti still refused to spill details on their relationship, while the rapper shot down reports they were ever together.
Nelly and Ashanti never confirmed their romance (WireImage)“To me, our relationship has been based in the media because there’s nothing we ever said about it,” he fired. However, in 2015, Ashanti seemingly confirmed she and Nelly had parted ways, and even hinted infidelity caused the split.
“I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character. I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up,” she said on The Meredith Viera Show.
And in 2021, she finally confirmed she had dated Nelly, as they were inadvertently reunited on stage with Ja Rule and Fat Joe.
“Now look, this is the crazy part: I had no idea he was gonna be there. I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since we broke up. Six years or something? So, I didn’t know what to expect,” she said in an Instagram Live following the gig.
Now, the couple are expecting their first child (Getty Images)The Grammy-winning artists then fuelled rumours they were getting back together in 2022, as Ashanti commented on their relationship during an interview with Andy Cohen. “What I will say is we're in a better place. But we're cool now. Yeah, we have some conversations, you know. So it's cool,” she teased.
They were then spotted together at a boxing match in Las Vegas in April this year, and a few months later, in June, they attended their first red carpet together since reuniting.
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And in September, Nelly confirmed speculation that they had reconciled, and said on the Boss Moves with Rasheeda show: “I think it surprised both of us.” Later that day, Ashanti walked the red carpet at the MTV VMAs with a clutch bag adorned with a picture of her and Nelly.
The couple’s rumoured new arrival will be the first child for Ashanti, while Nelly shares daughter Chanelle, 29, and son Cornell Haynes III, 24, with ex Channetta Valentine.