Matthew Lawrence had a second chance at love with Chilli.
“I wouldn’t have been ready for this type of relationship in my early 20s. No way,” Lawrence, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing his upcoming Hallmark+ reality series, Second Chance Love. Lawrence and Chilli, 54, will serve as cohosts and executive producers for the show, which was filmed on location in Sardinia, Italy.
Second Chance Love sees five couples reunite for a rare second chance with the one that got away. Lawrence and Chilli (real name Rozonda Thomas) bring an authentic perspective to the show, as they found love with each other after previously experiencing heartbreak in past relationships.
Lawrence told Us that the “timing” of his relationship with Chilli was just right, as he’s not sure if he would have been ready for it in his 30s, either.
“I think I would have definitely responded the same way, but I don’t know if I would have had the maturity or the experience of knowing what the other side is like, so that I would appreciate [it] as much as I do,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Chilli said that she’s “not afraid” of the idea of marriage, thanks to her relationship with Lawrence.
“I think that’s, like, one of the most beautiful things about a relationship, when you can get married and all that. And marriage is deep. It’s really deep. You go in, you got to know what you’re doing,” she said. “And it’s not easy, you know? But I can’t imagine it being so hard with the right person.”
Chilli continued, “You’re going to have things that life throws at you. … But when two people have that foundation of not just being friends and having that love and respect for one another and that person wanting it as much as you, then you have a great chance at having a successful marriage. And of course, you know, I love the Lord, so the Lord has to be the head of that relationship too.”
Chilli was most notably linked to music producer Dallas Austin in the mid-’90s. The exes share son Tron, 28. Additionally, she was in a highly publicized romance with Usher from 2001 to 2004.
For his part, Lawrence was previously married to professional dancer Cheryl Burke from 2019 to 2022.
Lawrence was first spotted with Chilli in Hawaii in August 2022. Though they were “just friends” at the time, the Boy Meets World actor’s connection with the TLC member turned romantic shortly before Thanksgiving that year, Chilli’s rep told Us. The couple later went Instagram official in December 2022.
Lawrence and Chilli’s chemistry is perfectly captured in Second Chance Love, which the former child star said they were drawn to because of its unique premise.
“The network that is involved [is] Hallmark, we knew that they have a more wholesome appeal and approach to the type of entertainment they make,” he told Us. “We didn’t want to be a part of [a] salacious type [of] dating show, and we also didn’t want to put our relationship as the spectacle. We just wanted to be there as the hosts and kind of lend our help as we could to these couples, but really keep the focus on them. And that was the premise of the show, so those two things, and then also, it was being filmed in Sardinia, Italy, which is a blue zone. It’s an incredible place.”
Second Chance Love premieres on Thursday, January 1, on Hallmark+.
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