Ashanti and Nelly are taking their rekindled romance one day at a time.
“A few years ago, Ashanti never would’ve imagined reconciling with Nelly, but they’re enjoying spending time together,” a source exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “They don’t want to rush anything.”
The couple — who dated on and off from 2003 to 2013 — “know each other better than most people” and are “very comfortable” around one another, the insider adds.
Earlier this month, Nelly, 48, revealed that he and Ashanti 42, had surprisingly reconciled after being apart for nearly a decade.
“Yeah, we cool again,” Nelly said in a September interview with Philo TV’s “Boss Moves with Rasheeda” when asked if he reunited with the singer. “I think it surprised both of us, though. It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned.”
Nelly credited the separation for giving the pair a greater understanding of one another and noted that there is “no pressure” this time around.
“Before I felt like both of us were doing what we were doing before career-wise, and when you got so many people in the middle of it, it can be tough,” he confessed.
Before the rapper’s public declaration, speculation sparked in April that the twosome were back on after they were spotted holding hands at a boxing match in Las Vegas. Ashanti fueled rumors even further when she posted an Instagram Story that same night with what appeared to be Nelly’s hoodie visible in the background. “Oh hey,” she teased in the caption alongside a winky face emoji.
In August, Nelly posted a video of him and Ashanti getting cozy and singing along to Usher’s “Nice & Slow.”
“I just want to take it nice and slow,” the duo sang in the clip. “See I’ve been waiting for this for so long.”
Ashanti and Nelly first connected at a press conference for the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. While they kept their romance on the down low at the start, heads turned when the musicians released their duets “Body on Me” and “Switch” in 2008.
Two years after their 2013 split, Ashanti addressed her breakup from the rapper during a 2015 appearance on The Meredith Vieira Show where she admitted she felt “betrayed” by Nelly.
“I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities it allows them to act out of character,” she said at the time. “I’ve been betrayed. Again, you just have to grow. You have to grow up and accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards. I think it’s really important to know yourself and understand what you want and get it. I’m in a different place right now.”
For more on Ashanti and Nelly’s rekindled love, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
