Ne-Yo's Wife Crystal Smith Defends Their Marriage

Crystal Smith is defending her marriage to husband Ne-Yo after a difficult year for the pair. The model took to her Instagram Story to tell people criticizing her relationship to back off after the "Miss Independent" artist proposed to her for a second time on New Year's Eve, rededicating himself to his wife after a four-month separation.

"It's just like social media has given people permission to feel like they can just comment on s— they don't know anything about and just try to tear people down," Smith began her Story. "Every time I post something about being happy, here the f— y'all come, talking about my relationship. Like people go through s—, but that's mine. That's my man, and if I choose to stand by him, that's what I choose to do. So who the f— are you to tell me I don't deserve any piece of happiness?"

She continued to people bringing up her past, "It's my past. I know what the f— that I've done. I'm not ashamed of it. I don't regret it; none of that has changed anything in my life." The former reality star ended with a note to her critics, advising them to "start being real" and "stop pretending for the world," in order to feel "a bit of the peace" she has. "Until then, leave me the f— alone," Smith concluded.

It was a difficult road for Smith and Ne-Yo after the artist announced in February on the Private Talk with Alexis Texas podcast that he would be filing for divorce. "She's got demons just like everybody else, just like me," he said at the time. "We realize that our demons don't mesh and until both of us get a hold of our personal demons it just makes things difficult."

That came as news for Smith, however, as she revealed later on her OWN docuseries, Behind Every Man, that she learned her husband was seeking a divorce online, adding that Ne-Yo didn't break the news to her himself. Spending time together with their two sons during the coronavirus quarantine appeared to have been a balm for their issues, and Ne-Yo later admitted he regretted both filing for divorce and the way he handled the situation.

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On New Year's Eve, Ne-Yo got down on one knee to ask Smith for her hand in marriage once more. "I love you," he said in a video shared to social media. "We have decided that this is our forever. With that being said I need you to know that there is no where on the face of the planet that I would rather be. There is no one on the face of the planet that I would rather be with."