Andrea Danyell Lee was born in
Chicago,
Illinois, on January 28, 1974. In 1996, Drea, then aged 22, married singer–songwriter
R. Kelly in
Colorado. Prior to their marriage, Drea was a backup dancer for Kelly. In 2018, Drea revealed on talk show
The View that R. Kelly emotionally and physically abused her throughout their marriage. She stated the abuse became so severe that she contemplated suicide. Drea detailed an incident where Kelly assaulted her in the back of his
Hummer, and as a result she has
PTSD. Another time, Kelly "
hogtied" her in bed, raped her, and fell asleep while she was still tied. She stated her motive for speaking out many years after their divorce as being to help other victims of
domestic violence. == Filmography ==