Shantel Jackson Says She Left, Not Nelly: ‘I Needed Space’

Shantel Jackson, Nelly and Ashanti || Image credit: @missjackson @nelly @ashanti

Shantel Jackson has put an end to the speculations about her split with rapper Nelly, asserting that she was the one who made the decision to part ways.

The news of Nelly and his long-time girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, calling it quits after seven years left fans in a state of disbelief.

Nelly and Shantel Jackson have been dating Jackson since 2014. In February 2021, the rapper told PEOPLE that “being friends” helped keep the spark in their relationship.

Nelly stated that Jackson supported him while he competed on Dancing with the Stars in late 2020. In October, he confirmed that he thought Jackson was “the one,” revealing this during an episode of the ABC reality show.

Jackson demonstrated unwavering loyalty to Nelly after the “Ride Wit Me” singer was arrested on suspicion of second-degree rape on October 7, 2017, after a woman claimed he assaulted her after inviting her onto his tour bus early that morning.

When Entertainment Tonight asked Nelly about the possibility of an engagement, Nelly stated that the couple was “working towards it,” later adding, “When we know, I’ll tell you.”

Unfortunately, the relationship ended before they could get to the altar.

Although Shantel Jackson had previously spoken about her breakup with Nelly in a few interviews, the actress decided to bring it up live with her fans recently.

“I guess maybe to see if space would bring us back together or if I need the space because I just need to rip off that band-aid,” Jackson said during the interaction.

“So, initially, I wanted the space or the break to rip that bandaid off,” she continued. “No ill will. Nothing bad. Just sometimes, people don’t work out. People grow apart like this isn’t working. It happens. It just didn’t work out.”

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Jackson and Nelly started dating after his ten-year relationship with R&B singer Ashanti ended. Ashanti never revealed the exact reason for their breakup, but she did say on two occasions, once in an interview on “The Meredith Vieira Show” and once on stage, that she felt “betrayed.”