R. Kelly's Ex-Wife Drea Kelly Talks His Alleged Physical Abuse: Don't 'Know The Difference Between Control And Concern'
Andrea "Drea" Kelly, R. Kelly's ex-wife, is breaking her silence on her alleged physical and financially abusive marriage to the disgraced R&B singer.
During a fundraising luncheon for Faces of Hope — an Idaho non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking — Kelly attended the event as the keynote speaker.
She revealed details of her tumultuous marriage with the Chicago singer, including an alleged incident of when he slapped her so hard while she was sitting on the toilet that she landed into their bathtub.
"We don't know the difference between control and concern, you have this man controlling the finances ... paying all the bills so you don't have to work," Kelly, 50, said. "Now I'm confused. I don't know who's the good guy and the bad guy, because all my life, I've been trained to know he's the same."
After the alleged incident, the dancer decided to leave the marriage, seeking free online resources for domestic abuse survivors.
In 2018, Kelly appeared on 'The View' to discuss the years of alleged abuse she said she suffered from the platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning artist.
"I said, 'Robert, you're going to kill me. I can't breathe,'" she recalled, describing an alleged incident where he pulled her left arm behind her back with his forearm pushed into her neck. "I just thought, 'Oh, my God. I'm going to die in the back of this Hummer.' "
In another alleged incident, Kelly, who is also from Chicago, said he tied her arms and legs behind her back and left her on the bed before eventually falling asleep.
Kelly was married to the 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer for 13 years, from 1996 to 2009. Together, Andrea and Kelly have three children: Joann, Jaah, and son Robert Jr.
According to CNN, R. Kelly is currently serving 30 years in prison for racketeering and sex trafficking.
R. Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was moved to FCI Butner Medium I, a "medium security federal correctional institution," according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, in April 2023.
