Nick Cannon Calls Ex-Wife Mariah Carey a ‘Gift From God’

Nick Cannon still has love for his ex-wife, Mariah Carey. The Wild ‘n Out star, 42, called the 53-year-old Grammy-winning artist a “gift from God” in a new conversation with The Shade Room when asked who the love of his life is. Cannon, who was married to Carey from 2008 to 2016 and shares twins 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with the superstar, answered, “Like the greatest? I mean, I always talk about that. Then, it goes viral and all her fans get mad at me.”

“I was 12 years old with Mariah Carey pictures on my wall, and that becomes my wife,” The Masked Singer host continued of how important Carey still is to him. “And the fact that she’s the coolest person I ever met. She’s just always happy, always doing for others. No matter what’s happening in life. I’m like, ‘Wow, a person can really operate like that and don’t allow negative energy into they space.’ When I found that out about how remarkable she was, that woman is not human. She’s a gift from God.”

Cannon also credited Carey for helping him with his “delightful disposition.” While the two split in 2014 before finalizing their divorce in 2016, Cannon looks back on their relationship with nothing but love. “It was literally like a fairytale with Mariah so I would rather it just be that way and I appreciate that fantasy because if I try to go back and it wasn’t the same, I’d be like, ‘Damn, I messed it up,’” he said. “But, if I had the opportunity, if it could be the way it was, I’m there.”

Since his split with Carey, Cannon has gone on to father many more children. He also shares Rise, 5 months, Powerful, 2, and Golden, 6, with Brittany Bell;Beautiful, 3 months, and twins Zion and Zillion, both 1, with Abby De La Rosa; Halo, 2 months, and late son Zen with Alyssa Scott; Legendary, 7 months, with Bre Tiesi; and Onyx, 5 months, with LaNisha Cole.

“I’m so excited about all my kids,” he told PEOPLE in May. “Constantly, from every aspect of it. From them getting citizen of the month awards in the first grade to the birth of the new ones. Every day I just wake up excited as a father.”