NeNe Leakes explained that she was not entirely unopposed to the idea of an open marriage in a new video from her “Pillow Talk” series on YouTube. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, 55, explained that she was looking to be “partners for life” with someone, about two years after the death of her husband Gregg in 2021.
NeNe got choked up as she spoke about how she used to list her late husband as her emergency contact, but since his death, she decided to list her son. She spoke about having someone who could be there through the hard times. “Maybe I should just marry whether I’m 100 percent happy with the person or not. Maybe I should just marry just so that I have a partner. A partner for life,” she said.
NeNe said that she thought about being married to have a husband in hard times, and they would be able to see other people through their relationship. “Maybe we would have an agreement that this person would be there for me, and I would be there for them, during hard times or medical times. Something like that,” she said. “He will see whoever he wants to see. I will see whoever I want to see, and we will be there for each other during hard times.”
While discussing how it could work, the Bravo star explained that during difficult times, there will be someone who is definitely by her side, such as “being sick or even on your deathbed.”
Despite considering it, NeNe said that she knows that she wouldn’t be happy with that type of arrangement. “That person will probably be talking to other people and loving other people and they’re just with you through the hard time,” she said. “It’s not who I am as a person. I really would want to be with somebody that really loves me and really wanted to be there for me.”
Ultimately, NeNe said that she decided to put her best friend’s name down as her emergency contact, explaining how friends are sometimes the chosen family. She explained that she didn’t want to make an arrangement where they’re “here for each other for emergency” situations. “I don’t really want that for myself,” she said.
NeNe was married to Gregg Leakes until his death from cancer on September 1, 2021. The pair first married in 1997, but they separated in 2010, but they rekindled their romance in 2013 and were wed until his death. They have one son Brentt.