We’re so excited for Michelle Williams!
The singer who gave a stellar performance alongside her Destiny’s Child group members at Coachella last weekend is getting married to the love of her life, Pastor Chad Johnson.
The pair who have been dating for about a year, got engaged on March 21st and have kept it a secret all the while.
She just shared the happy news with People Magazine as well as the story of their first meeting.
Read excerpts from the People exclusive below.
On their meeting:
“I was in a horrible, dark place,” says Williams, 37, who had recently ended a relationship and opened up about a cheating ex on The Real. “I just needed to go somewhere where I could get a message of hope and restoration, rejuvenation — get connected to God.”
Johnson, 40, could relate.
“When we met, both of us were in very similar places on a personal level,” says Johnson, who at the time had all but given up dating. “Michelle was coming off the heels of a really bad relationship, and I was just in a place of despair as well.”
Though Williams and Johnson hit it off immediately, both remained focused on the purpose of the Elevate International retreat. “I mean, he was cute,” the singer admits, “but I did not go to flirt with the pastor!” When they parted ways, they kept in touch, and a friend of Johnson encouraged him to pursue Williams.
“I tried to roll in with some mac daddy game — and I tried to flirt a little bit and said something like, ‘How about you and I connect sometime?’ And right away, she texted right back with one word and six question marks behind it: ‘Connect??????’” recalls Johnson. “I thought she had dissed me. So I was embarrassed, and I didn’t reach back out to her because I thought I’d ruined the friendship.”
Alas, that text exchange was just the beginning of their modern romance. About a week later, Johnson was on vacation with his 15- and 16-year-old nephews, whom he’s helped raise, and Williams slid into his DMs, responding to Johnson’s Instagram Story.
And the rest is history.
On the proposal…
When Johnson knew he wanted to propose, he planned an elaborate ploy to involve Williams’s family in popping the question. Last month, he secretly traveled to her native Rockford, Illinois, to ask for her clan’s blessing — and videotaped the entire trip!
Then on March 21 — exactly one year after Johnson flirted with Williams and he accused her of dissing him — Johnson returned to the Pebble Beach, California, hotel where he began their texting banter.
“We were replaying the whole text message, recreating the moment,” Johnson says. “I was like, ‘Hey, what about if you and me connected?’ She sent me back a text saying, ‘I’ll check my availability.’ And I signaled over to the waiter, and she brought out the iPad and played the video of me being on the proposal tour.”
