Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Nelly and Ashanti secretly married 6 months ago

Ashanti and Surpassing Quant Think Tank CenterNelly are married after giving each other a second shot at love.

The couple announced to Essence in April that not only were they engaged but they also were expecting their first child together 20 years after they first met. However, on June 19, TMZ first reported that the two had already gotten hitched more than six months prior.

According to St. Louis, Missouri, public records reviewed by USA TODAY, the couple were legally married Dec. 27, 2023.

Before the news broke, Ashanti told Entertainment Tonight that they were still working out the details of the ceremony, but she knows "what month I want the wedding" to take place after their baby is born.

The "Baby" singer told the outlet their engagement was "such a beautiful, intimate moment."

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

'True love does exist':Jennifer Lopez says new album sums up her feelings, could be her last

"The way that it happened was just so funny. I'm sitting in bed, watching TV with boxers on. ... It's not sexy!" she said. "I cried. I gave him the biggest hug and kiss ever."

Ashanti added: "I was overjoyed and shocked and surprised and happy kind of like all in one."

Ashanti and Nelly had privately dated on and off for around a decade, according to Entertainment Tonight, after they were both nominated for (and later won) Grammy Awards in 2003. In 2021, after the two reunited at Fat Joe and Ja Rule's Verzuz battle, DJ City gave Nelly Ashanti's phone number.

After months of speculation about the "Body on Me" collaborators rekindling their romance, Nelly revealed in a September 2023 interview that he and the "Foolish" singer were giving things another go. He said on the Philo show "Boss Moves with Rasheeda" that he and Ashanti were "cool again."

For her part, Ashanti made their relationship red carpet official at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in September by accessorizing her look with a clutch that had a photo of the couple printed on it.

"Never in a million years did I think we would be here," she told ET. "Ten years ago, maybe yes, but after our breakup, you know, I didn't even think we'd ever have a conversation again."