Nelly and Ashanti Reignite Their Love: From ‘I Hated You’ to Finding Home

Nelly and Ashanti are celebrating a renewed chapter of their love story, and fans couldn't be happier. The rapper commemorated Ashanti's 45th birthday with a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, which featured a photo taken back in 2005 of them together in Anguilla. He referred to Ashanti as "the most beautiful and amazing woman," and shared that marrying her was like "finding home." The emotional post quickly received love and nostalgia from the large fanbase, as they reminisced about how they endured throughout the years.

The throwback photo also brought back memories of their complicated history. When it was originally taken, Nelly and Ashanti were adamant they weren't dating, even as everyone was speculating otherwise. Their romance, which started way back in the early 2000s and ended in 2013, was tumultuous to say the least, but ultimately, with the passage of time and personal growth, they found their way back to each other.

Earlier this year, on their reality show Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together, the couple reflected on their past, revealing how their feelings evolved. "I hated her," said Nelly, prompting Ashanti to join in and express the same sentiment. "I hated him," she agreed. "I didn't think that we would get back together."

Nelly further reflected on the journey in a June interview. "Everybody don't get a chance to, if you could say, take a test drive," he said. "It's like when people say, 'You should always test drive a car before you buy it.' I hate to minimize that because this is real life, so you don't want it to feel like that." He added, "It's about the good outweighing the bad. What you thought mattered a lot, once you go through other scenarios, you realize that's not really as big of a deal as you thought it would be."

Nelly credited Ashanti's influence for helping him grow and mend their relationship, declaring, "She got me y'all!" The renewed bond is set against the recent tension created when Chris Gotti spoke about Ashanti's non-presence at Irv's funeral, which highlights how much she and Nelly have grown together in finding peace and maturity.