Kelly Rowland has opened up about reuniting with her father and the journey towards forgiveness after being estranged for years.
Five years ago, the Destiny’s Child star reunited with her biological father, Christopher Lovett, following three decades of the two being estranged. She appeared on Tuesday’s episode of Today’s Hoda & Jenna, where she emotionally recounted the feelings she endured growing up without a father.
“I was angry at him. I was disappointed in him. I had all those feelings of abandonment. I didn’t know why he wasn’t there,” she recounted.
The Grammy-award-winning singer confessed that when she was touring with Destiny’s Child, she instructed security not to let her father backstage to see her out of anger. Lovett, who joined his daughter during the interview, called the repeated occurrences “sad.” However, the 41-year-old expressed that was her way of protecting herself.
Following the birth of Rowland’s son Titan in 2014 and her mother’s death, Doris Rowland Garrison, the same year, she knew it was time to reconcile with her father.
“I think I had these feelings of like, ‘Oh my God, I have no parents.’ And it was like, no, you do, you have one left,” she shared.
The two finally met up in an Atlanta hotel, where they spoke for two hours. Lovett told Rowland about the lack of relationship with his own father and his continued effort to have a relationship over the years.
“I wanted her to hear the other side of the story. Some of the things that other people said about me weren’t true. And I couldn’t get a chance to see her and tell her that I love her,” the proud father stated.
Today, the two are closer than ever, with Rowland crediting forgiveness as the driving force.
