Andrea Danyell Kelly (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Lee, January 28, 1974), known professionally as Drea, is an American choreographer, dancer, and actress. She is the ex-wife of singer-songwriter

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

Background and personal life

Andrea Danyell Lee was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

on January 28, 1974. In 1996, Drea, then aged 22, married singer–songwriter

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Prior to their marriage, Drea was a backup dancer for Kelly. Together Drea and Kelly have three children: daughters Joann (b. 1998), Jaah (b. 2000) and son Robert Jr. (b. 2002). Drea changed her last name from Lee to Kelly. Drea filed a restraining order against Kelly in September 2005 after he 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 '' 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, and as a result she suffers from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

. Another time, Kelly "

hogtie The hogtie is a method of tying the limbs together, rendering the subject immobile and helpless. Originally, it was applied to pigs (hence the name) and other young four-legged animals. Details The hogtie when used on pigs and cattle has it ...

d" 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 is to help other victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Videography

Cameo appearances

Books

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Andrea 1974 births American film actresses Living people Actresses from Chicago Dancers from Illinois People with post-traumatic stress disorder 21st-century American women