Despite the 'Dancing with the Star' pro's apparent shade at her ex-husband over his romance with the singer, it's reported that they didn't get together until after his split from the dancer.
- Jan 6, 2023
AceShowbiz - Rozonda Thomas a.k.a. Chilli is not the reason for Matthew Lawrence's divorce from Cheryl Burke. Despite the dancer's apparent shade at her former husband over his newly-confirmed romance with the singer, it's now revealed that the lovebirds only started dating after Cheryl filed for divorce from Matthew.
Though Chilli and Matthew did know each other before his split from Cheryl, a source familiar with the situation tells TMZ that they were not pursuing each other until after the "Dancing with the Stars" pro filed for divorce from her then-estranged husband last February.
Chilli and Matthew reconnected in March, a month after Cheryl filed for divorce, at a '90s convention. But even then they reportedly waited a while before jumping into anything serious due to Matthew being fresh out of his marriage. Their divorce was finalized in September 2022.
Chilli, in the meantime, was allegedly dating other people up until they went public by making it Instagram official over the holidays. By the time Chilli and Matthew started dating, he no longer lived together with Cheryl. In fact, the dancer herself said she and Matthew were officially single as of September.
Chilli and Matthew were first swept in dating rumors after they were spotted on a vacation together in Hawaii in August last year. However, a representative for the singer denied there was anything romantic going on between the two, describing the two as friends.
"TLC had a show in Hawaii," the rep told E! News at the time. "They've been touring all summer and are heading to Australia soon." The rep further explained the two's outing, "Matthew and Chilli are friends and were taking a moment to get some sun after the show. They weren't by themselves there was a group with them."
It wasn't until last week that they confirmed their relationship by posting a video of them dancing together in matching pajamas. According to Christal Jordan, the "Waterfalls" hitmaker's representative, the couple spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas together in Atlanta, where the 42-year-old star met his new girlfriend's family. She added to PEOPLE magazine, "I've been with Chilli since 2005 and I've never seen her this in love. She is glowing. They are really cute together."
Later, Cheryl appeared to respond to Chilli and Matthew's romance as she posted on Instagram on Tuesday, January 3, "That was fast…"
