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Miss Independent singer Ne-Yo's wife, Crystal Smith, has filed for divorce after discovering that the musician fathered a child with another woman. The separation announcement comes days after Crystal accused her husband of cheating.
The 36-year-old filed a petition to end their marriage on August 1. In documents obtained by Today, Smith claimed that she is divorcing Ne-Yo, whose real name is Shaffer Smith, after he "recently fathered a minor child with his paramour." Documents also claimed that their marriage is "irretrievably broken" and that there is "no hope of reconciliation."
Paramour refers to a secret lover. The word originated in French. 'Par Amour,' meaning 'through love,' entails a relationship based on love and physical intimacy rather than a legalized union.
Although the official petition was filed recently in Fulton County, Georgia, where Smith resides, the pair have been separated since July 22.
Do Crystal Smith and Ne-Yo have any children?
The pair, who married in February 2016, have three children, Isabella Rose, Roman Alexander-Raj Smith, and Shaffer Chimere Jr, who are one, four, and six years old, respectively.
Smith has requested primary physical custody of the children and joint custody, child support, and alimony as well.
The mother-of-three recently took to Instagram to publicly accuse Ne-Yo of cheating on her throughout their relationship. In the social media post, she wrote:
“Eight years of lies and deception. Eight years of unknowingly sharing my life and husband with numerous women who sell their bodies to him unprotected. To say I’m heartbroken and disgusted is an understatement. To ask me to stay and accept it is absolutely insane. The mentality of a narcissist. I will no longer lie to the public or pretend that this is something it isn’t.”
Smith added that aside from having a family, their time together was nothing but "wasted years and heartache."
The duo has been in a tumultuous relationship since their marriage began. In 2020, the Because Of You singer filed for divorce but withdrew the request during the pandemic as the lockdown helped them reconcile. In 2021, the couple welcomed their third child and renewed their vows in a grand ceremony.
Ne-Yo addresses public divorce
As Crystal Smith took to Instagram to publicly shame her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ne-Yo liked her Instagram post and addressed their separation on Twitter. The singer shared that he will deal with private matters "behind closed doors." He also stated that "personal matters" should not be "dissected in public forums."
The singer requested that his followers respect his and his family's privacy. The entire tweet read:
"For the sake of our children, my family and I will work through our challenges behind closed doors. Personal matters are not meant to be addressed and dissected in public forums. I simply ask that you please respect me and my family’s privacy at this time.”
Ne-Yo had not addressed him fathering another child at the time of writing this article. Along with being a parent to the three children he shares with Smith, the singer is also the father of Madilyn Grace and Mason Evan, who he shares with his ex-partner Monyetta Shaw.
