Fans have been speculating about it for years, but we can finally put the doubts about Nelly and Ashanti to rest. The couple went public about getting back together last year and have gone on to share plenty of details about just how well everything’s been going in their relationship the second time around.
Ever since then, fans have had just one question. When is Nelly going to ask Ashanti to marry him? Celebrity fan pages have been filled with people wondering what’s been taking so long.
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In November of last year, a short while after Ashanti surprised Nelly for his birthday, one fan commented that it was “obvious” how much she loved the rapper. They went on to remark on just how long they had been in each others’ lives, having first gotten together over 20 years ago.
The fan discussed how Ashanti has been open about how much she wants marriage in her life. In fact, the conversation soon became pretty critical of Nelly for failing to give Ashanti what she obviously wanted.
The fan wrote that the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to propose showed a lack of commitment. Others agreed, writing that Nelly just wasn’t marriage material and was fully aware of the fact.
Ashanti and Nelly May be in a Honeymoon Phase
It was suggested that the reason the couple has shown themselves to be so happy together was down to nostalgia. One fan suggested that they were in a kind of honeymoon stage because they were back together after years apart, which made it feel deeper than their first time around. The fan, and many others, expected those feelings to wear off once Nelly realized that Ashanti wanted to take things to the next level.
Other people, however, seemed to think that it was the other way around, and Ashanti was really the one who was keeping the couple from being husband and wife. One person wrote, “Apparently Nelly has been trying for a while to get back together, and even had discussions about marriage.”
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They continued to say that every time the subject came up, Ashanti would change the topic or ghost Nelly. Obviously, it was pretty much impossible to really know what was going on between the couple from the outside.
But one thing we did have to help form an opinion is the relationship history between Ashanti and Nelly. The different paths they took in their romantic lives might offer insight into why their current situation was so confusing.
Nelly Has Never Been Married
First, let’s take a look at Nelly. Before reuniting with Ashanti, Nelly had never made it to the aisle. Although he has never married, he was in another serious relationship with Shantel Jackson.
Shantel dated Nelly for around seven years before they broke up in 2021. During their time together, Shantel quickly started putting out signals that she was ready to take that step with him.
The signs weren’t always that subtle. In 2016, Shantel shared an Instagram post featuring an elephant family of three, a father and mother with a baby elephant. Another sign came when Shantel tagged Nelly and herself as Mr. and Mrs. Adventure while they were on vacation in Bali.
Although they parted ways without ever tying the knot, there was no doubt that they both took their relationship seriously. Nelly clearly wanted Shantel to be close to his family. She was even featured on Nelly’s short-lived reality show Nellyville.
This could mean two things about Nelly’s attitude to relationships. The fact that he never married may have proved fans right that he has never been husband material. On the other hand, his commitment to the relationship apart from the marriage aspect shows that he is capable of taking Ashanti seriously.
Ashanti Has Kept Her Dating Life Private
For her part, Ashanti has always been pretty quiet about her dating life outside of Nelly. So much of what we know about Ashanti’s partners has been speculation and gossip.
It was also claimed that she had an affair with rapper Andre Parker between 2003 and 2005. Madame Noire reported in 2013 that the two shared a relationship despite both being involved with other people. At the time, Ashanti was dating Nelly and Andre was with Keyshia Cole, who Ashanti co-wrote the song Woman to Woman with.
The speculation about Ashanti continued for years after she ended things with Nelly. During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, she had to deny rumors that she was dating wide receiver DeSean Jackson. However, she did admit that she had recently attended a match with him.
Another footballer who was linked to Ashanti around the same time was Darnell Dockett. After she tweeted to wish him a happy birthday in 2015, many took this as confirmation of their relationship. However, if they ever really were a thing, it didn’t last past 2016.
Basically, other than Nelly, there’s no solid proof that Ashanti has had a lot of serious relationships. This might be evidence that long-term relationships aren’t for her, but the singer often talks about how important finding love is for her.
It’s more likely that her dating history proves just how important Nelly is to her. No one else has ever managed to take his place in her heart.
This has also been a concern to fans, some have worried that Nelly might exploit Ashanti’s loyalty to him. One fan wrote, “Nelly won’t marry Ashanti and have kids with her because she is his doormat for two long decades.”
Ashanti and Nelly Are Expecting Their First Child Together
Another worry among fans was that Nelly only got back together with Ashanti in 2023 to improve his public perception. In the years leading up to their reunion, situations in Nelly’s personal life, as well as some serious brushes with the law, caused his reputation to start to fade. Some fans thought that with Ashanti so loyal to Nelly, it would be easy for the rapper to change the conversation around himself by getting back together with her.
Despite the doubt and outright cynicism surrounding their relationship, recent information has shut down all rumors about Nelly and Ashanti. Very recently, it has emerged that the pair have been married for quite some time and simply didn’t tell us.
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Media outlets got hold of public documents that proved the couple had been married since last December. Not only that, but we’ve recently learned that Ashanti is actually pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Recently, Ashanti posted some new photos on Instagram to celebrate her pregnancy. The photos showed her lying on a beach in a gold bikini. In the caption of the post, she wrote that her impending motherhood was “the greatest feeling ever.”
Nelly and Ashanti had previously announced both their pregnancy and that they were engaged in April of this year. But fans had no idea that they had already taken the final step and tied the knot in private.
It just goes to show how far off our judgments can be from the truth. The love these two share for each other is in fact as real as it gets.
