Ashanti Shares New Details on Nelly Proposing: Overjoyed & Shocked!

Ashanti was completely caught off guard when Nelly proposed, and she’s sharing all the details about the surprise moment.

“It was such a beautiful, intimate moment,” Ashanti, 43, told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Tuesday, June 18. “We were not dressed up at all.”

Ashanti was wearing one of Nelly’s T-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts when he asked her to marry him. She had “absolutely no idea” that Nelly, 49, was planning to propose.

“I felt like [the proposal] was going to come soon,” she explained to the outlet. “I didn’t know when. The way that it happened was just so funny. I was sitting in bed watching TV with boxers on.”

Joking that the moment was “not really sexy,” the singer recalled bursting into tears when she said yes. “I gave him the biggest hug and kiss ever,” she gushed.

“I FaceTimed everyone I know. I was overjoyed and shocked and surprised and happy, kind of, like, all in one.”

Ashanti said she’s “ready” to walk down the aisle, hinting that she has an idea of when the wedding might happen. “I think it’s going to be a combination of fashion, glam, Caribbean vibes,” she told ET, noting that she and Nelly are both “very busy” while expecting their first baby together. “I have to have a beach and ocean and sunshine and palm trees.”

Us Weekly confirmed Ashanti’s pregnancy in December 2023. This will be Ashanti’s first child, while Nelly has a daughter, Chanelle, 30, and a son, Cornell Haynes III, 25, with ex Channetta Valentine.

Ashanti and Nelly, who previously split in 2013 after 10 years of dating, got back together in April 2023.

Comparing their rekindled relationship to their past romance, Ashanti told ET,

“The growth has been superb, you know, like on both ends. We are both at a place where like before, sometimes we would argue and walk out, slam the door, and not talk for a few days. Now it’s kind of like, ‘All right, you good?’ You know, give me a kiss goodbye and it’s over.”

She continued,

“It’s not about holding on to grudges and bickering. We find out what the resolution is, and we apologize. … It used to take me a little longer to apologize.”

Ashanti said she “never in a million years” saw herself marrying Nelly after their breakup, noting, “For me, personally, I just kind of shut that person out. You know? It’s kind of like, ‘That chapter is closed.’”

Their connection sparked again when they started having “rekindling phone conversations,” and Ashanti was “pleasantly surprised” that she still had feelings for him.

Earlier this year, Ashanti confirmed her engagement in an interview with Essence. “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,” she said in April.

“Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”