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American singers Nelly and Ashanti sparked dating rumors after they were spotted together attending a wrestling match over the weekend. On April 22, the duo attended the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena and sat next to each other.
As per People Magazine, the duo was also seen holding hands after the fight, leading fans to believe they were back together.
Moreover, The Shade Room took to their Instagram handle to share a video of the duo performing together at Tao Beach in Las Vegas on their hit song, Body On Me. In the video, Nelly and Ashanti can be seen grooving to their music as they entertain a massive crowd in front of them.
Although the duo has been tight-lipped about their romance for years, fans were quick to ship their bond again.
Ashanti hinted at "insecurities" being a wedge between her and Nelly
As per the Cheat Sheet, Nelly and Ashanti (real name Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas) first crossed each other's paths in 2003 during a press conference for the Grammy Awards.
Speaking about her alleged relationship, Douglas said (via Rap Up):
“The first time I met Nelly he asked me for my autograph, but I think he was being sarcastic and I remember writing it down on the program. For the record, it took him a long time to get my number.”
In 2005, the Baby singer told People Magazine that they "went out" but added that they were not in a relationship. Three years later, she hinted that they might get engaged in the future, as per Digital Spy. For several years, they remained private about their romance, and Nelly even wanted to marry the Happy singer.
However, in 2013, the duo separated after being together for over a decade.
A year later, Ashanti appeared on an episode of Sway in the Morning and said that Nelly was her first love. She later told Hot 97 that the duo was good and had "no beef" between them.
While appearing on a 2015 episode of The Meredith Vieira Show, the Foolish singer hinted at the reason behind her split with Nelly and said:
“I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities it allows them to act out of character. I’ve been betrayed. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards. I’m in a different place now.”
While performing at a concert in 2018, the singer seemingly hinted at this betrayal. Emerging on stage, she said:
“I’ve been betrayed before. Publicly at that.”
To this, a fan reportedly yelled, "f**k Nelly!" and the singer pointed at them and said, "Word."
Aside from this, Nelly has never commented on their relationship publicly, and the Wockesha singer did not speak about it again. However, in 2019, the Gotta Move On singer appeared on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she stated that she has not looked back on her decision since then.
Twitter reactions to Nelly and Ashanti's viral videos
After videos featuring Nelly and Ashanti performing together and attending a boxing match went viral, Twitterati was excited. Several users hailed the bond that the duo share and shipped them. One of them even compared them to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who reunited and got married several years after breaking up.
As of this writing, neither of them have confirmed the status of their relationship.
