Noughties couple Ashanti and Nelly secretly wed months before announcing first pregnancy

Nelly and Ashanti reunited in 2023 after 10 years apart. Photo / Getty Images

Much loved 00′s couple, Ashanti and Nelly rekindled their romance last year, a decade after calling it quits. Now, a source has revealed they are not only engaged but have married in a secret ceremony.

Nelly, 49, and Ashanti, 43, sparked rumours they were back together after being spotted in Las Vegas early last year, with an inside source telling Entertainment Tonight in May that they were back together.

TMZ has since obtained a copy of a marriage certificate revealing that the happy couple made their romance official by saying “I do” on December 27, 2023.

Nelly and Ashanti are expecting their first child together. Photo / Instagram @ashanti

The US news outlet reported that while the paperwork did not state where the couple wed, it was noted that the marriage was certified in Louis County - the home state of the Hot in Here singer.

It comes after Ashanti revealed on Instagram in April that she and the couple are expecting their first child together.

Last month, she shared a photo of her and her now-husband celebrating Mother’s Day, writing in the caption, “This Mother’s Day was so special… having our families together as we are about to embark on such an incredible journey was amazing. Wishing all of the amazing Moms and Moms to be a beautiful Mother’s Day/ Pre Mothers Day!!!!”

The Foolish singer opened up to Entertainment Tonight this week where she recalled telling her husband she was pregnant over FaceTime.

“I couldn’t wait, [I] had to get it out,” she says. “And he was just like, ‘Oh I knew.’”

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“He was so happy and we were both smiling and it was so funny,” she said reflecting on the moment. “I was actually at his mom’s house... He was in the studio. It was a really cool moment. It was a little bit of everything.”

The RnB couple split in 2013 after 10 years of an on-and-off relationship.

Upon rekindling their love, they were both open in admitting they were “surprised” that they had found their way back to each other.

Ashanti echoed the sentiment in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, confessing, “Never in a million years did I think we would be here.”