R. Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea Kelly compares her marriage to ‘American Horror Story’: ‘You can’t heal in the lie’
Andrea Kelly and R. Kelly were married from 1996 to 2009
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EXCLUSIVE: R. Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea Kelly jokes that her pal Sheree Zampino, who was married to Will Smith, had an ending that was more “Disney Channel” while hers was more “‘American Horror Story.’”
On Tuesday, the women will appear in the VH1 special “Hollywood Exes: Reunited,” which also features Nicole Murphy (ex of Eddie Murphy), Mayte Garcia (ex-wife of Prince), Shamicka Lawrence (ex-wife of Martin Lawrence) and Shanna Moakler (ex-wife of Travis Barker).
Andrea, 46, was married to the singer (real name: Robert Sylvester Kelly) from 1996 to 2009. They share three children.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I did not have a nice transition,” she told Fox News. “But you know, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And I didn’t stop at lemonade… You make the best out of what it is because at the end of the day, no matter what happened between my children’s father and myself, I got the best part of him: I got three beautiful children out of that marriage. I got the best part of whatever we had together.”
In response to Andrea's comments, Kelly's attorney told Fox News: "Unfortunately, Andrea Kelly has to continue to make sensational allegations and paint herself as a victim in order to further profit from her marriage to Robert. She is simply trying to capitalize and extend her 15 minutes of fame. To do that she will say anything, regardless of the truth. As I said, it is unfortunate."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrea Kelly and R. Kelly were married from 1996 to 2009. (Getty Images)
“We all have a purpose in life,” said Andrea. “When one season ends, another begins. For me, it’s been about transformation. I haven’t stopped working. I’m now living my life as Drea Kelly… And it’s a beautiful thing. For anyone who is going through a divorce, you will find yourself again. You will find your own lane in life. But don’t discount what you’ve been through because that’s a part of your journey. It’s a part of your testimony. It’s a part of your message. It’s not all of who we are. It’s a part of who we are.”
Andrea admitted that having her personal life in the public eye wasn’t easy. However, she has no qualms about being candid about her past, no matter how painful it can be.
“You have to be transparent because you can’t heal in the lie,” she explained. “It’s hard and it may be as painful as it may be, but it’s like putting alcohol and stitches on the wound. When you live under a lie, you’re putting a Band-Aid on something that needs stitches. People… can’t get their healing. If you’re not willing to be transparent, real and truthful about what you’ve been through, you won’t go through your healing.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s not just about being a celebrity or being on TV -- it’s life in general,” said Andrea. “You have to walk in your truth and be OK in that journey you’re on. That’s the only way healing is going to happen. And that’s the only way people can connect. We live in such a fake filtered, altered Botox world that people need something real. We need something real in life.”
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TV personality Andrea Kelly has spoken out in the past about the alleged abuse she endured while married to R. Kelly. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
The Grammy-winning musician, 53, is behind bars in Chicago after pleading not guilty to dozens of state and federal sex crime charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The charges range from sexual assault to leading a racketeering scheme aimed at supplying Kelly with girls. Kelly is also accused of having unprotected sex with a minor in 2015 without disclosing he had herpes.
In 2018, Andrea alleged she suffered from abuse during her marriage and at one point even contemplated suicide.
"I remember going out on the balcony," Andrea told Sister Circle Live at the time. ”We were at the Wyndham Grand Bay Hotel. I'll never forget it. Coconut Grove."
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"And I actually climbed up on the balcony, and I had one foot propped against the wall and my other foot, I climbed up on the ledge, and I remember looking down," continued Andrea, who said it was her faith that helped get her through that moment.
Singer R. Kelly turns to leave after appearing at a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Sept. 17, 2019, in Chicago, Ill. (Antonio Perez - Pool via Getty Images)
"I remember jumping down, and I said, 'OK, God. You have to give me an answer today,'" she explained before sharing that God had pointed her to her laptop where she searched "domestic violence" and found a support site.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I’m thinking to myself: 'I’m not that girl. I’m not the teeth missing. I'm not the broken bone girl.' But God said, ‘Keep scrolling,’ so I kept scrolling, kept scrolling. And at the end of the domestic violence awareness website, there was a questionnaire, and it was 17 questions.”
The interview concluded with Andrea claiming that her ex-husband did "15 of them to [her].”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrea later said she feared for years about coming forward with the allegations against her ex-husband. She has since shown support for domestic abuse survivors on social media.
At the time, reps for Kelly did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Hollywood Exes: Reunited” airs Tuesday, November 24 at 8 p.m. ET on VH1. Fox News’ Mariah Haas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.