Ciara and Russell Wilson’s love story continues to captivate fans now that the couple who tied the knot just six months ago is expecting their first child together. Despite a rocky romantic past, most recently with the father of her son, rapper Future, everything seems to be coming up roses when it comes to her romance with Russell, and that Ciara contributes to the foundation of their relationship: friendship.
In an interview for the February issue of Cosmo South Africa, the singer explained:
“I really believe that when you focus on a friendship, you have the opportunity to build a strong foundation for a relationship—and once you know you’re really great friends and you’re what we call ‘equally yoked,’ where you share the same values or the same outlook on life, it kind of sets the tone. Knowing that you’ll always have the friendship and that you can always go back to it is very important, and very powerful.”
A big part of building that friendship was abstaining from sex, which Ciara has shared many times before, but with Cosmo she explained why that decision, no matter how difficult, is critical when it comes to establishing something lasting.
“We women think with our hearts and with our minds. When we see a guy, we envision what he’s like and whether this could be something special. Guys see us from an exterior point of view—that’s something I learnt along the way as a woman.
“It’s important to have a friendship. It’s important to have standards,” she added. “You shouldn’t feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you.”
One thing that made abstinence an easier choice for Ciara was that she and Russell had a conversation about the “intimacy part” of their relationship, and it seems refraining from sex was actually the idea of her devout Christian quarterback husband.
“I have to give credit to my husband for sharing those views,” Ciara explained. “It’s awesome how it all worked out.”
Check out behind-the-scenes video of Ciara’s photoshoot with the mag below.
