Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams and her fiance, Chad Johnson, have separated after a nine month engagement. The singer took to Instagram in a now-deleted Instagram Story to share the message that the couple has parted ways — while dropping her brand new single “Fearless” the same day, People reported.
“I still remain fearless. I guess I still remain single! Things didn’t work out. The healing that needs to take place is a must! I don’t wanna destroy another relationship. Blessings to him, his family and ministry,” Williams said in the deleted post.
The couple met in 2017 at a health and wellness retreat in Arizona. Williams told People that she sought the facility to help her reconnect with herself and her faith after being in a “dark place” following her infidelity in a former relationship. The pair bonded over their mutual faith, and Johnson — a sports chaplain — proposed the following year in Pebble Beach.
“I was so shocked! I was weeping and wailing. He proposed to me in Pebble Beach at this beautiful resort and I was crying so loud that people were turning around, going back to their rooms and stuff, they weren’t coming to the restaurant because they were like, ‘Did she just find out something he did bad? What happened?’” Williams shared with Good Morning America .
Though, it appears that the joy of the occasion didn’t last long. People reported that Williams broke off the engagement a couple of times following the proposal, and subsequently checked herself into a facility to deal with the singer’s depression, following a hospitalization for unknown causes. Following the stint at the treatment facility, the couple attended counseling together to help strengthen their bond.
“I’m assuming a lot of relationships go through a period of time where one or more people get overwhelmed. You don’t even know what it’s like to have real love because I’ve had to fight so much in past relationships: fight to have a place, fight for you to see me, fight for you to love me, fight for you to be faithful. In this relationship I didn’t have to do that, but I was so ready to fight,” Williams told People in October.
The couple currently appears on a reality show starring the duo, as they prepare for their wedding. The cameras follow the couple as they attend counseling sessions together, and their adjustment to living in their new city of Los Angeles. Chad Loves Michelle airs on Oprah’s OWN Network on Saturdays at 9 p.m.
