Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas shared a shocking revelation from her past in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE Magazine on June 1.
The petite 52-year-old TLC singer shared that she continued having a relationship with ex-bae Usher for years– admittedly when the two were between partners. Chilli divulged the information amid the June 3 premiere of the group’s documentary, TLC Forever, on Lifetime Network. The stunning Georgia native revealed that she had a relationship with the “Confessions” crooner until 2019– when it began interfering with her Seven-Day Adventist beliefs.
Though Usher and the “Red Light Special” singer were together for three years (2001-2004), she admitted that they had a great working relationship while they were a couple, but the famous pair were “different” outside of their art.
“We definitely had some chemistry. But working chemistry does not mean it works in your personal life. If we were working, it was great. But outside of that, we’re so different,” she expressed during the interview.
Chilli also shared that Usher could not be the man she needed even though fans rooted for them as a couple.
“It looked great, but in real life, he knew he had to be a certain way with me, and he couldn’t.”
Chilli also revealed that the relationship was riddled with trust issues, and the two artists went in different directions. Though it’s been rumored Usher’s 2004 hit album “Confessions” was about their breakup, the 52-year-old singer denied the claim, saying, “I was with him at the studio that whole time.”
Admittedly, Chilli stated that she and Usher had difficulty getting over each other. But the spiritual singer noted in the interview that the toxicity of that love prevented her from having the love she yearned for and deserved.
“I love hard. I was like, ‘God, why can’t I get over this?’ He couldn’t either. I even stopped dating. Because before that, I thought if I met the right guy during that time that I wasn’t over [Usher], it wouldn’t work. I would never want to straddle the fence.”
Although the love affair was intense, Chilli maintains she has no hard feelings toward the 43-year-old entertainer.
Finally, breaking off their relationship prepared her to meet the “love of her life,” Matthew Lawrence. The swirling pair had been linked since last August, but they made their bond official last Thanksgiving.
In preparation for the premiere of TLC Forever, the singer posted clips from the documentary on Instagram on Saturday.
“2nite! 2nite!! 2nite!!! #tlcforever @lifetimetv & @aetv at 8PM EST!!!!”
