Andrea Danyell Kelly (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Lee, January 28, 1974), known professionally as Drea, is an American choreographer, dancer, and actress. She is the second ex-wife of singer-songwriter
R. Kelly.
Background and personal life
Andrea Danyell Lee was born in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, on January 28, 1974.
In 1996, Drea, then aged 22, married singer–songwriter
R. Kelly in
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
.
Prior to their marriage, Drea was a backup dancer for Kelly.
Together Drea and Kelly have three children: daughters Joann (born 1998), Jaah (born 2000) and son Robert Jr. (born 2002).
Drea changed her last name from Lee to Kelly. Drea filed a restraining order against Kelly in September 2005 after he allegedly assaulted her when she told him she wanted a divorce. Kelly filed for divorce from Lee in 2006; it was finalized in 2009, both parties signed a NDA and Lee was given an undisclosed amount of money for alimony.
In 2014, Drea married 36-year-old barber and R&B singer Brian McKee, whom she divorced after just two months of marriage after allegations surfaced that he was having an affair.
In 2018, Drea revealed on talk show ''
The View'' that R. Kelly emotionally and physically abused her throughout their marriage. She stated the abuse became so severe that she contemplated suicide. Drea detailed an incident where Kelly assaulted her in the back of his
Hummer
Hummer (stylized in all caps) is an American brand of Pickup truck, pickups launched in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a model under GMC (automob ...
, and as a result she suffers from
PTSD. Another time, Kelly "
hogtied" her in bed, raped her, and fell asleep while she was still tied. She stated her motive for speaking out many years after their divorce as being to help other victims of
domestic violence.
Filmography
Film
Television
Videography
Cameo appearances
Books
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Andrea
1974 births
21st-century American women
Actresses from Chicago
African-American actresses
African-American women choreographers
African-American choreographers
American choreographers
American film actresses
American women choreographers
Dancers from Illinois
Living people
People with post-traumatic stress disorder