Ashanti announces pregnancy with longtime boyfriend Nelly

Ashanti is set to embrace motherhood, expecting her first child with rekindled flame Nelly. 

Us Weekly exclusively confirms the joyous news, revealing that the couple, who reignited their romance earlier this year, is eagerly anticipating the arrival of their bundle of joy.

At 43, Ashanti is preparing for her first experience as a mother, while Nelly, 49, already shares two children, daughter Chanelle, 29, and son Cornell Haynes III, 24, with ex Channetta Valentine. 

The forthcoming addition will mark a new chapter in the couple's journey, and friends close to them express nothing but excitement.

Pregnancy rumors began to swirl over the weekend when Ashanti attended Nelly's Black and White Ball in St. Louis alongside her partner. 

During a moment on stage, the singer placed her hand on her stomach, mirroring Nelly's affectionate gesture. 

A fan video shared by TMZ captured the scene, as the couple, seemingly acknowledging the imminent arrival of their child, burst into laughter. 

 Ashanti and Nelly, who once graced headlines with their on-again, off-again relationship spanning from 2003 to 2013, find themselves back in the spotlight.

The spark of reconciliation ignited in April when eagle-eyed fans spotted Ashanti and Nelly holding hands at a boxing match in Las Vegas.

The rumors gained traction, and by September, the singer confirmed the rekindled flame in a clip from Philo TV's Boss Moves with Rasheeda. 

With a nonchalant "Yeah, we cool again," Nelly surprised fans with the unexpected reunion, emphasizing that it wasn't a meticulously planned affair.