After years of looking for the right guy, Chilli has finally found love in actor Matthew Lawrence, and it looks like they will go the distance. The TLC singer’s woes in the love department are well-documented. She’s been open about her heartbreak suffered during her nearly decade long romance with producer Dallas Austin, which was chronicled in TLC’s VH1 biopic. Her public split from singer Usher inspired chart-topping hits for the 8701 singer. But now, she’s being loved the right way by her actor beau.
The two first sparked dating rumors in 2022. Two years later, they’re still going strong and gushing about potentially marrying and starting a family. Let’s take a look at their love story.
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Matthew’s heartbreak
Lawrence’s marriage to dancer Cheryl Burke ended in February 2022. Their divorce documents stated their date of separation as January 7, 2022. The former Dancing With the Stars pro cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. They ended up having to go to trial over custody of their dog, Ysabella.
A Hawaiin vacation
Amid his divorce, Chilli and Lawrence were seen together in Hawaii in August. But her rep said they were just friends.
“TLC had a show in Hawaii and has been touring most of the summer. There was a group that went to the beach,” Jordan said in a statement at the time, as reported by Us Weekly. “Chilli simply wanted to get some sun after being on planes and tour buses for the last few weeks. TLC had a few more stateside shows before heading to Australia.”
Thanksgiving love
Despite denying their romance just that summer, Chilli’s rep revealed the two’s reported platonic relationship turned romantic. And it happened just in time for the holidays as they spent Thanksgiving together. They’d spend Christmas together the following month with Chilli’s family in Atlanta. On New Years Eve, they went Instagram official with matching onesies.
Family planning
Chilli has a son, Tron, and a newborn granddaughter. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to be a mother again. Lawrence confirmed they plan to expand their family with a baby of their own.
“That’s the game plan. That’s what we’re trying to do,” the actor revealed to Entertainment Tonight when asked about expanding his family with Chilli in March 2023. “My life is in complete bloom right now. I get to spend time with an amazing woman like Chilli. I’ve never gotten to be able to experience that kind of relationship before. She’s really, really special.”
All the PDA
The two walked hand in hand on red carpet for a Lifetime event celebrating Black women. A year after going IG official, Chilli shared a photo of the two sharing a smooch.
Things are easy
Chilli has never been married and has been criticized at times for being deemed too picky when it comes to men. But she says Lawrence made her realize she did the right thing by not settling, and she’s no longer afraid of marriage thanks to her beau.
“I don’t have any fear at all when it comes to him,” she told host Portia Bruner of The Portia Show on FOX Atlanta. “It is just the way he is as a man, you know? He is a good guy. He has an amazing heart and I mean, he checks off all of my list — except for a few I don’t know yet — but we’ll figure that part out.”
She added: “This is the first time that we have both experienced being in a relationship to where, I mean, there’s no drama at all. We get along and we have differences but we, still to this day, we’ve never had an argument. I don’t even understand why we would have to have an argument in the first place.”
