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Ashanti is opening up about the moment she learned she was pregnant. Additionally, the singer is dishing on her fiancé Nelly‘s immediate reaction.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Tuesday, June 18, Ashanti opened up about the moment she learned she was expecting her first child.
The singer explained that, at the time, she was “kind of late” with her menstrual cycle. Additionally, Nelly didn’t help when he “blurted something out on stage.” To note, Ashanti seemingly referred to the December 2023 incident when she appeared at her fiancé’s ‘Black and White’ Ball.
At the time, the couple took the stage, and Nelly briefly rubbed his hands on the singer’s stomach, per The Shade Room. To date, it remains unclear what the rapper may have told the crowd.
“My fiancé kind of blurted something out on stage, and when he blurted that out on stage, we actually did not know. I hadn’t even taken a test at that time,” Ashanti explained. “…It was definitely a total coincidence.”
The singer explained that Nelly rubbing her stomach wasn’t the subliminal action that fans thought it was.
“It really wasn’t hands on belly,” Ashanti explained. “I had a big pendant on my dress and I was, like, pushing it down so that it wasn’t, like, protruding. So I’m like, pushing it down, and he’s, like, making it look like something and I’m like, ‘No!'”
According to the outlet, Ashanti confirmed her pregnancy soon after the viral incident.
“I was so shocked, and happy, and emotional,” she said. “And like, I always dreamed about it — I wanted it so, so bad. And I just feel like the timing was perfect.”
In contrast, the singer revealed that Nelly wasn’t surprised at all.
“And he was just like, ‘Oh, I knew,” she said.
Nonetheless, Ashanti shared that she and Nelly were both “so happy,” and “smiling” about the news.
As the interview continued, the ‘Baby’ singer was asked whether it was “tough” to hide her pregnancy from the world. In response, Ashanti said, “Not really.”
“I mean obviously, my body has changed so much, so that’s the tough part,” she said. “But you know, there are so many things that we just keep close to the vest. Both of us are really private people. So that part isn’t hard, but the growing bump — there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Ultimately, Ashanti shared that she and Nelly have learned the gender of their unborn child. However, they’re keeping it a secret while also pondering what they will name their baby.
Watch the singer’s interview, which includes a look at her maternity shoot, below!
