Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas 'Knew' She Would Have 'Ended Up Divorced' From Usher If She Accepted His Proposal
Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas knew Usher wasn't "the one."
According to insiders, the TLC band member, 53, rejected the "Caught Up" singer's early 2000s proposal because she had a gut feeling they weren't destined to live happily ever after.
"So many people were upset with Chilli when Usher shared that she turned down his proposal, but they don't know the full story," the source claimed. "She obviously loved him — the entire world knows that — but she has always been convinced that marriage was sacred and she didn't want to end up divorced."
Per the insider, Chilli "knew” their romance would’ve "ended up in divorce” because of the “way it was at that time" between them. "That would’ve been an even greater heartbreak," the source added of a possible failed marriage.
The former power couple dated from 2001 until they called it quits in 2004. As OK! previously reported, the Super Bowl performer, 45, reflected on his past love for the "No Scrubs" artist in a recent interview.
"If I am to be honest, I was her No. 1 fan, and she was my superstar," Usher gushed over his former flame. "At the age of 8, I put her poster on my wall and said, ‘Man that girl is so beautiful. One day I’m going to meet her.'"
- Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas and Boyfriend Matthew Lawrence Have 'Never Had an Argument,' Shares Singer: 'There's No Drama at All'
- Usher Admits TLC's Chilli Rejected His Proposal During Early 2000s Romance: 'I Really Did Love That Girl'
- Matthew Lawrence Teases Future with Girlfriend TLC's Chili — Is Marriage in the Cards?
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Despite how much the two adored each other when they dated, their differences got in the way of making it work. "I was a young man, and she had very specific rules that didn’t work for me," he recalled.
"We were missing each other. I really did want to have a different type of relationship where she was there with me, and she couldn't be. She didn't believe that I was actually in love with her as much as I was," Usher noted.
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The "Burn" artist went on to detail the aftermath of popping the question to Chilli. "I wanted to marry her. I proposed and she told me no," Usher explained. "I went through a great deal of pain after that, not trusting women or wanting to open up. I hurt her too. It broke my heart."
"I really did love that girl, and I was like, I don't want to play with you. Like, 'I can't give you what I gave you. I did everything that I thought you would've wanted me to do, but I guess my good wasn't great enough,'" he lamented.
Us Weekly spoke with sources close to Chilli.