Lana Del Rey's Husband's Ex-Fiancée of 12 Years 'Shocked' by His Quick Marriage to Singer

Lana Del Rey's new husband's former fiancée has some thoughts about their recent marriage.

Kelli Welsh,45, who was engaged to Jeremy Dufrene for 12 years before calling it quits in October 2023, admitted she was stunned by the swamp tour guide, 49, exchanging vows with the pop icon, 39, after seemingly only being together for a month.

"I am in shock because we were engaged for 12 years, and he got married after one month," Dufrene's former partner explained in a recent interview. "But I am happy for him. He is a very protective, hardworking, manly man. He needed to get out of his comfort zone. He was used to bayou life and being out on the swamp. He is deserving of this blessing."

Welsh and the alligator expert met and dated when they were in high school, but things ended after one year. When Dufrene divorced his first wife, with whom he shares two sons and a daughter, the two rekindled their romance in 2011.

Despite their long history, Welsh has nothing but positive wishes for her ex's future with Del Rey. "I will say that he really does look happy with her," she said of the newlyweds, who first met in 2019 when the "Video Games" vocalist took a boat tour. "And she does with him which is a good thing to see. It's not a fake happy. He truly is in love with her."

"He has always been a giver so to have someone give to him, he deserves it," Welsh gushed over Dufrene. "He is a very solid guy. I care about him deeply as a friend. His ability to love and care and protect people makes him so attractive."

As OK! previously reported, the father-of-three and Del Rey tied the knot on Thursday, September 26, in an intimate ceremony at Dufrene's alligator boat tour facility in Des Allemandes, Louisiana. The small family affair took place by the water where the "Diet Mountain Dew" artist's father, Robert Grant, walked her down the aisle.

The pair's romance has been quite the whirlwind after they were first spotted holding hands in late August when Del Rey performed at a festival in the U.K. The duo was also seen holding hands while leaving a wedding at Electric Lady Studios in New York City earlier this month alongside Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

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Daily Mail conducted the interview with Welsh.