EXCLUSIVE: Real Housewives NeNe Leakes's New Love Is About To Stand Trial For Manslaughter
April 26 2010, Published 2:40 p.m. ET
Real Housewives Of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes has fallen for ‘bad-boy’ NFL star Charles Grant as her marriage to husband Greg Leakes crumbles, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
The hulking 6-foot-3, 290lb former New Orleans Saints defense linesman was indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in Feb 2008, after pregnant Korynda Reed, 23, was shot to death outside a Blakely, Georgia, nightclub.
Grant has always claimed that he was innocent in the horrific crime. His trial is set to begin May 3.
Bizarrely, the football star looks strikingly like NeNe’s own son, Bryson, who also was recently arrested after police found him in possession of marijuana.
A source close to the Real Housewives Of Atlanta star told RadarOnline.com: “NeNe and Charles met at a fundraiser for him and they have been involved for over a year and a half now.
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“Greg and NeNe split up a few months ago and she is still living in the family home while her husband comes and goes.
“He knows about Charles Grant but NeNe says that she is s free woman now and can do what she wants.
“Greg really loves NeNe and he wants to save the marriage but they have a lot of problems right now.”
The feisty reality star has fallen hard for 31-year-old Grant who has told her he is innocent of the shooting of Reed and her unborn child, the source says.
Grant – who lives in Louisiana – is trying to get a new contract with the Atlanta Falcons so that he can be closer to NeNe, a former stripper who has found fame on the Bravo reality series.
The NFL star also has relatives in Atlanta and sees Leakes every time he visits the area while she has jetted-out to various locations to see him too.
The source adds: “NeNe believes that somebody is innocent until proven guilty and she is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“In addition Greg and NeNe’s marriage has been under pressure since the arrest of his stepson Bryson.
“NeNe is now the main bread winner and she wants a more lavish lifestyle which is something that Grant could give her if he lands a multi-million dollar new contract.
“It’s unlikely she will file for a quick divorce while she is still on The Real Housewives Of Atlanta but she has told friends that she has developed strong feelings for Grant and that does not bode well for her marriage.”
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Leakes, 42, who is originally from Queens, New York, met her current husband while she was working as an exotic dancer called Silk at an Atlanta club.
The reality star - who also has another son Brentt with Greg Leakes – once revealed: “I could make $500 off one guy just by turning him on.”
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: NeNe: “I Was A Single Mom Living In An Abusive Relationship”
“These men were obviously there to see what I had, and I quickly realized that those men weren’t there to make me feel bad about myself.”
