Ashanti Shows Off Baby Bump After Announcing Pregnancy and Engagement to Nelly

The 43-year-old singer is engaged and expecting her first child with Nelly.

Now that Ashanti has announced that she and Nelly are tying the knot and expecting their first child together, the singer is letting her baby bump show out!

The 43-year-old singer took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday to show off her baby bump after months of speculation and rumors were confirmed with her announcement. In the short video clip, Ashanti poses against a balcony rail and pans down her body, giving a full view of her growing belly. The mother-to-be is beautifully clad in a deep blue dress that hugs her bump as she smiles into the camera and gives her high ponytail a toss over her shoulder. 

The video is set to Ashanti's song, "Sweet Baby," and the singer tagged her fianceé with a red heart in the bottom left corner. 

Ashanti's April 17 Instagram Story - Ashanti/Instagram Story

The video was seemingly taken during Ashanti's visit to Miami Beach, where she was a keynote speaker at POSSIBLE 2024. Per the website, the "premier marquee event" was conceived and created by Christian Muche (Co-Founder, DMEXCO) and offers curated content including networking opportunities, masterclasses, workshops, an exposition, VIP programming and entertainment for marketing creatives. 

Ashanti shared her double dose of big news on Wednesday. She and Nelly, 49, first hinted at their baby news in December in a video that made its way around the internet from Nelly's 11th Black and White Ball. During what appears to be an auction portion of the event, the pair stands onstage while the MC says "seal the deal." Nelly then places his hand on Ashanti's stomach, as she makes a heart over it, before they both laugh and rush off the stage. 

The "Foolish" singer announced her pregnancy in an Instagram video that shows the singer getting ready for a performance. After one of her handlers checks in on her, Ashanti's mom, Tina Douglas, checks in a second time, asking the singer how much time she needs until she's ready. Ashanti emerges -- dressed to the nines -- and responds, "I'm gonna need about nine months," prompting Tina to express shock at the pregnancy news.

She also confirmed the news of her engagement in an interview with Essence, sharing, "This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation. Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience."

Ashanti and Nelly, who rekindled their longtime, on-again, off-again romance last year after calling it quits in 2013, have become inseparable since they sent the R&B world into a frenzy after being spotted together for the first time last year. 

The baby will be Ashanti's first and Nelly's third child. The "Hot in Herre" rapper is the father of adult children, Chanelle, 29, and Cornell Haynes III, 24, from a previous relationship. Nelly also adopted his sister, Jackie Donahue's, kids -- Shawn and Sydney Thomas -- after she died from leukemia in 2005.

In September 2023, the "Dilemma" emcee officially confirmed that the pair was back together. During an interview with Love and Hip Hop's Rasheeda and Kirk Frost, he admitted that rekindling their romance was a "surprise" for both of them.

"It wasn't anything that I don't think was planned," he shared, adding that he believes time apart played a role in their rekindled relationship. "I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more. You be like, 'Yo, let me see exactly what they see.' You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that." 

It's been an eventful year for the "Body on Me" singers, who have shared PDA in Las Vegas and had a sentimental moment as Ashanti walked the red carpet holding a picture of her and Nelly from 20 years ago. 

For more of Nelly and Ashanti's love, click below. 

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