Nelly Says Separation Helped Him & Ashanti “Understand One Another More” [Video]

After months of cozy images and speculation, Nelly has officially confirmed that he and Ashanti are back together.

The “Tip Drill” star sat down for a recent episode of Boss Moves with Rasheeda and Kirk Frost, where he shared how the two reconnected years after their breakup.

“I think it surprised both of us, though. It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned,” he told the Love & Hip-Hop stars.

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Nelly and Ashanti began dating in 2003. They remained together on and off until 2013 when they called it quits for good. Ashanti would later claim that the rapper somehow betrayed her but stopped short of saying he cheated. The two then moved on to other people, with Nelly dating model Shantel Jackson for about seven years, though they broke up in 2021. Ashanti had previously been linked to Flo-Rida.

The “Country Grammar” star says dating other people helped both him and Ashanti come back together.

“I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes, being separate, you understand one another more. You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong, but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that,” he told the hosts.

The duo has been spotted performing and traveling together recently. Fans quickly caught wind of them getting close again after years and began questioning their romance.

On Tuesday, Ashanti seemed to confirm Nelly’s claim at the VMAs, sporting a purse with a photo from the night they exchanged numbers in 2003. 

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