R. Kelly’s Ex-Girlfriend Azriel Clary Apologies To Family To Past Estrangement
R. Kelly’s former girlfriend, Azriel Clary, is continuing to give updates about her new life post her split with the embattled singer. While Kelly remains in jail awaiting trial for a multitude of sex crime allegations, Clary is dedicated to catching up on the lost time she says she spent away from her family after being with the Kelly for five years. Clary posted a message to her Instagram account apologizing to her family for what transpired during their estrangement.
Azriel Clary details her past relationship with R. Kelly
Clary met Kelly when she was 17 at a concert in Florida. She began working with him professionally as a protegee with dreams of her being a singer. Clary’s parents monitored her relationship with Kelly but claim that once she turned 18, Clary began becoming distant. Within a year, Clary cut off contact with her family.
In Surviving R. Kelly, Clary’s parents fought to get their daughter to return to them, believing that she was being abused by Kelly and part of a twisted sex cult. But Clary denied such claims and said that she was with Kelly on her own merit. She told Gayle King in a 2019 interview that she chose to not speak with her parents due to them allegedly trying to use her to extort Kelly. Her parents denied such. Her and Kelly’s other live-in girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, defended Kelly against all claims.
After Kelly was arrested, despite standing by Kelly’s side for the first few months of his imprisonment, Clary moved out of the Chicago condo she shared with him and reunited with her family. She later claimed that she’d lied to protect Kelly and was a victim of his abuse and control.
In a Jan. 2020 interview with The UK Sun, Clary claimed that Kelly beat her, forced her into sexual acts, controlled what she ate and wore, isolated her from family and friends, and even forced her to eat her own feces. She’s now reportedly working with the feds in their cases against Kelly for various sex crimes and sex trafficking.
Azriel Clary is reunited with her family and apologies for lost time
Clary reunited with her family shortly before leaving Kelly in Dec. 2019. According to reports, her brother was the only person she communicated with initially. After she watched the Surviving R. Kelly documentary with her brother, she began to realize that she was a victim of his abuse. According to Clary, she was unable to watch the documentary prior due to Kelly’s rules.
Clary’s parents spoke with People Magazine after their daughter ended her relationship with Kelly and were grateful for Azriel’s epiphany. “My daughter could either not be here because of the choices she made when she was 17 or I get to be able to fight and help her grow,” Azriel’s mother Alice told the magazine. “To be honest, the battle is won because she’s still here, she’s still alive.”
The Clary’s later shared images of a family photo shoot, the first to include Azriel in over five years. “Let the healing process begin,” Azriel captioned an Instagram post.
Like many others who are experiencing being shut-in due to the coronavirus lockdown, Clary is using her time to reflect. She’s now looking back at the time she lost with her family while she was in a relationship with Kelly and expressed remorse on her social media.
“Family is everything, and more than anything I’m thankful my family and the world prayed for me and welcomed me with loving arms,” she wrote in part on Instagram. “I am now mature enough to put my pride to the side and apologize for all the humiliation and embarrassment I’ve put my family through.”
Clary has been working on music to help her heal in the aftermath of her relationship with Kelly. She’s also committed to continuing to tell her story to help other victims and bring justice to those who have suffered.
