After the guilty verdict in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking case, Andrea “Drea” Kelly joined ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” show to discuss her difficult “position” as his ex-wife and the mother of their three children.
R. Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, was found guilty of nine counts in a federal Brooklyn court Monday, Sept. 27, including charges of racketeering, sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping and forced labor, according to CNN.
Drea, who was married to the disgraced singer from 1996 to 2009, says the guilty verdict puts her heart “in two places,” considering what has now become part of their children’s legacy.
“My heart breaks as a mother because this is now the legacy my children will have to deal with and their children’s children,” she expressed on “Good Morning Britain” on Tuesday, Sept. 28.
“At the end of the day, you cannot walk away from your bloodline. I have the ability to separate and distance myself from it. But his blood runs through my children’s veins and it’s part of their DNA and they couldn’t escape it even if they wanted to.”
Drea previously accused R. Kelly of being emotionally and physically abusive during their marriage on “Growing Up: Atlanta” and the Lifetime docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly.” She said her “heart” also goes out to the survivors for courageously coming forward to share their stories.
“It’s great that we’ve taken a step forward but it’s what happens outside of the courtroom that is most important,” Drea continues. “That women are supported to even feel like that they have the strength to come forward and tell their stories. If they’re still victim-blaming, victim-shaming, and women [are] afraid to even speak their truth, we can never get to a court system where justice can be served.”
Regarding support for all victims, she added, ‘When women, children, and even men feel supported by society, because they can be victims too, that is when justice will really be served.”
The guilty verdict is a decades’-long win for victims who have accused R. Kelly of misconduct and having inappropriate relationships with young women and girls, including with his illegal marriage to the late Aaliyah. The 54-year-old will remain in custody until his sentencing on May 4, 2022.
