Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Scarlett O'Toole

Inside Kelis' tragic love life - from 'really dark' romance with Nas to untimely death

Kelis has been very open about her turbulent love life, having once been part of one of hip-hop's most iconic couples.

The Milkshake singer dated rapper Nas in the early 2000s and they quickly became a musical power couple, however, it wasn't meant to be and Kelis has since claimed their relationship as abusive.

The 43-year-old later enjoyed a romance with photographer Mike Mora, with the couple sharing two children together.

Sadly, their relationship ended in tragedy when Mike was diagnosed with stage-4 stomach cancer. He died from the disease six months after going public with his diagnosis.

It's now thought Kelis has struck up an unlikely romance with actor Bill Murray, despite him being almost 30 years her senior.

Here, we take a look back at Kelis' love life.

Nas

Kelis and Nas had a turbulent relationship (FilmMagic)

Kelis and Nas met for the first time at Sean Combs' MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in September 2002.

The Trick Me hitmaker admitted she was the one to make the first move, with Nas pretending he didn't know who she was.

"Everyone moves out of the way, and Nas stands up, and I put my hand out, and I’m like, 'Hey, I'm Kelis'.

"And he goes, 'Who?' So I'm crawling into a f**king hole, and he's like, 'Wait-huh? What's your name?' And I'm like, 'Kelis', and he's like, 'Oh, well, that's great, because I've been waiting to make you my wife all these years'," she recalled to Vibe magazine.

The pair instantly hit it off, with Nas proposing in 2004.

The couple tied the knot in January 2005, but things quickly turned sour.

The pair tied the knot in 2005 (WireImage)
She filed for divorce four years later (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Towards the end of their relationship, the couple endured multiple cheating rumours and Kelis eventually filed for divorce in April 2009.

At the time of filing, the singer was seven months pregnant with their son Knight.

Years later, Kelis opened up about their marriage and claimed it was "really dark" with alcohol, mental and physical abuse.

"I probably would have stayed longer had I not been pregnant because I really did love him and because we were married. We weren't dating, we were married. Like, this was my person," she told Hollywood Unlocked.

She added: "I've never painted myself as a saint. Did he hit me? Mhm. Did I hit him back? Mhm."

Kelis also said the domestic violence incident between Rihanna and Chris Brown influenced her decision to leave Nas.

Nas replied to the accusations on social media, accusing Kelis of attempting to slander him in the time of a custody battle.

Mike Mora

Kelis moved on with Mike Mora (Kelis/Instagram)
They share two children together (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Mul)

Kelis went on to find love with photographer Mike Mora, who she married in 2014.

The couple went on to have two children together - son Shepherd and daughter Galiliee - and they lived on a remote farm outside Los Angeles.

Sadly, in September 2021, Mike revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer. He was initially given just 18 months left to live.

"I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way. Here I was, in a hospital bed, during the middle of the pandemic. All alone," Mike wrote in an Instagram post at the time.

He continued: "You always see people post about how life is too short. How you should reach out to those you love no matter where life has taken you. It is the truth.

"Don't take your time here, your time with friends, family, for granted."

Mike sadly died just six months later in March 2022 at the age of 37.

Bill Murry

She's thought to be dating Bill Murray (@ChildrenOfZeus/Twitter)
They have quite the age gap (Getty Images)

Bill Murray and Kelis are said to be enjoying a whirlwind romance, despite having an almost 30-year age-gap.

Sources claim the duo have been spending time together at a hotel and have been "getting close for a while" after first meeting stateside.

It's said they bonded following the death of Kelis' second husband in March last year. Bill's estranged wife died in 2021.

A source told The Sun : "They've met up in the States before which got people in the industry talking, and now are meeting up in London while they're both here. They've clearly hit it off."

They continued: "But they’ve also both shared relatively recent bereavements and have that common bond between them.

"Whatever it is that has brought them together, and however unlikely it seems, they are both single and are having fun despite the fairly big age gap."

* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.