AceShowbiz - Hip-hop producer Scott Storch has confirmed reports he dated rapper Lil' Kim in 2005, insisting she'll always be the love of his life. The stars sparked rumours they were a couple when they attended various events together following the rapper's release from prison in July 2006.

Neither Storch nor Kim ever confirmed or denied they were romantically involved - but now the beatmaker has opened up about his feelings for the "Lady Marmalade" star, admitting they are now just close friends instead of lovers. He tells AllHipHop.com, "I love her to this day. She's a wonderful girl."

"She has had a not-so-easy life. And she's dealt with the same things that the media puts everybody through and I have feelings for her as a person and we dated. We were cool and that's all that was. I consider her a friend and somebody I care about for the rest of my life."

Kim was sentenced to a year-long prison stint in 2005 after being convicted on charges of conspiracy and perjury relating to a shooting in New York in 2001.