In a bombshell revelation, Usher recently opened up about how TLC’s Chilli broke his heart after he proposed to her. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, the R&B superstar reflected on his relationship with Rozanda Chilli Thomas.
The former couple dated from 2001 to 2004. They first met in 2001 when Usher was around 23 years old. Although Chilli was seven years older than him, Usher told People, “I was always charming the older ladies.”
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Regarding Chilli herself, Usher said, “If I am to be honest, I was her No. 1 fan, and she was my superstar.” He even wrote a song called Superstar in 2004 after their very public relationship came to an end in his album Confessions. Usher also claimed that he put Chilli’s poster on his wall “at the age of 8,” and promised himself, “One day, I’m going to meet her.”
Usher went on to explain what went wrong with their relationship and caused them to split up. He said, “I was a young man, and she had very specific rules that didn’t work for me.”
He continued, “We were missing each other. I really did want to have a different type of relationship where she was there with me, and she couldn’t be.” The singer added that Chilli “didn’t believe” that Usher was as “in love with her” as he was.
Despite Chilli’s doubts about him, Usher went on to reveal just how far his feelings really went for her. He said, “I wanted to marry her. I proposed and she told me no.”
Things Are “Always Light” Between the Former Couple
He went on to describe the “great deal of pain” he went through after Chilli’s rejection. He said that he then went through a period of “not trusting women or wanting to open up.”
However, Usher also admitted that he “hurt her too.” Despite this, he added that the situation with Chilli devastated him, saying “it broke my heart.”
Last year, Chilli also gave an interview with People, in which she admitted that she and Usher “definitely had some chemistry.” However, she also remarked that they were “so different”, and that things were only “great” when they “were working.” Chilli said of Usher, “He knew he had to be a certain way with me and he couldn’t”.
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She also denied that her ex’s Confessions album was actually about her, saying that she “was with him at the studio that whole time.” But according to Chilli, even after their split they remained off and on again for years.
For his part, Usher claimed this week that things between them were finished after their breakup. He said, “We were cool with each other, but I was very careful with that. I really did love the girl, and I was like, I don’t want to play with you.”
Despite their tumultuous romance, both Usher and Chilli have now moved on. Usher recently married his partner Jenn in a surprise wedding in Las vegas after his Super Bowl halftime performance. Chilli, meanwhile, is dating actor Matthew Lawrence.
After so many years of heartache, Usher was finally able to say to People, “I’m not hurt over that at all,” and added that “it’s always light” whenever he and Chilli see each other.
