Drea Kelly, R. Kelly’s ex-wife and mother of his children, has stated that she is divided at his conviction for racketeering and sex trafficking.
After decades of sexual misconduct charges against him, the R&B singer was found guilty on Monday afternoon (27 September). Kelly had pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges stemming from crimes such as child sexual exploitation, kidnapping, and forced labour.
He was also found guilty on criminal charges of breaking the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport people across state borders “for any immoral purpose.”
Kelly now faces a sentence ranging from ten years to life in prison. His sentencing date is set for May 4, 2022.
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Drea, who has three children with the musician, has previously claimed that he assaulted her “physically and sexually.”
On Tuesday (28 September), Drea told Susanna Reid and Alastair Campbell on Good Morning Britain that it was “really sad” that R Kelly had taken so long to be found guilty.
When asked how she felt about the news, she expressed her feelings as follows:
“I’m in a very difficult position because I also have three children with him. I feel like my heart is in two places.”
She added:
“You cannot walk away from your bloodline. It’s a part of their DNA, they can’t escape it even if they want to.”
She declined to comment on her children’s reactions to their father’s conviction, saying only:
“I support my children in with everything. They have the right to feel whatever they feel.”
Drea – whose real name is Andrea Lee — was married to R Kelly from 1996 to 2009. She characterised being with him as a “life of continual anxiety” in which his mood was unpredictably unpredictable.
Abi (born Joann) Kelly, one of R Kelly and Drea’s daughters, revealed in a 2019 interview that she tries not to pay attention to news about her father:
“I don’t let that be a part of my every day,” she said. “We don’t have a relationship, so it’s not like me to check in on him. I don’t personally go look it all up and read. I keep myself out of it.”
They have another daughter together, Jaah, and a son, Robert Jr.