Ciara and Russell Wilson's love story is one for the books. Beginning as a friendship, their romance sparked over shared ideology, family values and an instant connection. Together now for five years and counting, the singer and the Seattle Seahawks quarterback are an inspiration for many and undeniably #CoupleGoals.
Ciara met Wilson in March 2015, following her separation from then-fiancé Future, with whom she shares son Future Jr. Her baby boy was 10 months old when the NFL star met Ciara's family. At the time they were just friends.
"It was different. I had never had that feeling in my life. It was just, like, calm. We were connecting in every way," Ciara said during a 2019 Red Table Talk episode about her immediate bond with the pro athlete. "His conversation, it was just different. The way that he looked at life was different. Also, the energy with my son, it just felt right. And of course, the consistency. He's consistent. That consistency is so crucial."
"He was like this, open arms," she added, spreading her arms out wide. "And he was like, 'I got you.' Just the detail. Whenever he would think about me, he would think about my son. And to love me is to love my son. We come together. It's dope. It's a different level of love."
So what is it about Ciara and Wilson that puts a smile on our faces? Let us count the ways.
Shortly after making their love official in April 2015, the couple discussed their decision to abstain from sex and wait until marriage to consummate their love.
"She was on tour, she was traveling, and I was looking at her in the mirror," Wilson told Pastor Miles McPherson of The Rock Church in San Diego in 2015. "God spoke to me and said, 'I need you to lead her' and I was like 'Really? Right now?' He goes, 'No, I want you and need you to lead her.'"
Wilson said he asked Ciara, "What would you do if we took all that extra stuff off the table and just did it Jesus' way?"
"I knew that God had brought me into her life to bless her and for her to bless me, and to bless so many people with the impact that she has, that I have," he said. "Nobody's perfect, but He's anointed us to do something miraculous, something special."
Wilson, however, did share that it was harder than it sounded. "I ain't gonna lie to y'all now," he said, "I need y'all to pray for us. 'Cause I know y'all seen her on the screen now. If there's a 10, she's a 15."
Ciara discussed the profound benefits of their celibacy pledge with Cosmopolitan South Africa in 2017, telling fans, "You shouldn't feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you."
"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," she added. "Knowing that you'll always have the friendship and that you can always go back to it is very important, and very powerful."
Their vow and commitment to each other became permanent when Wilson proposed to the "Goodies" singer in March 2016. A couple months later, in July 2016, the pair tied the knot in a ceremony at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England.
And, as promised to each other, Ciara and Wilson abstained from sex until they got married. The two even shared that they had been getting down a lot since becoming husband and wife.
"So, baby, you know what we're doing tonight," Ciara shared in one of her Snapchat videos, while smiling and playfully twirling her hair. Wilson chimed in, saying, "From what we did last night, I'm gonna do it multiple times."
Their openness and playfulness is just another reason why they are great relationship goals and role models. And not just that, Wilson has consistently been an amazing father figure and stepdad to Ciara's son, even before they started their own family.
"[Ciara]'s been an inspiration since day one -- since moment one," Wilson explained in an interview in 2016, shortly after getting married. "And her little one, too, just watching him. I was saying to somebody the other day, being a stepfather is one of the most loving things you can do. You really learn how to love, especially when it's not yours."
"You realize that every kid matters in this world," he added. "Every person matters, every child matters, every heart matters, every soul matters, every mind matters. That's why we're here, honestly, for situations like that."
The blended family only grew when Ciara announced in October 2016 that she and the NFL pro were expecting their first child together. The couple welcomed their daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson, in April 2017.
Enjoying private time with their expanding family, it wasn't until almost a year later that the mom and dad shared the first picture of their baby girl.
"My Princess, it has been the sweetest joy having you in my life," Ciara wrote in part in an open letter to her daughter. "Since the day you were born, watching you grow up has been the greatest blessing a mom could ask for. You are the little girl I always prayed for and more. I’m so grateful for you."
And while they say you shouldn't mix business with pleasure, the "Level Up" singer and Wilson are better together. In April of 2019, they launched their joint company, Why Not You Productions, which develops TV, film and digital projects.
“While we work in different fields in our day-to-day, we are excited to come together to collaborate and create stories that we hope will touch people’s lives,” said Wilson and Ciara in a joint statement at the time, per THR. “We are both storytellers at heart and we want to be able to share stories that uplift people and inspire others to create positive change. That’s ultimately what we want this company to represent.”
They also became team owners of the Seattle Sounders FC.
It's not just that they're there for each other and their family. They also give back to the community, volunteering at hospitals, donating money to good causes and speaking out about what's important to them, including the Black Lives Matter movement.
Earlier this year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the couple shared that they would be pledging 1 million meals to Seattle's Food Lifeline. They also partnered with Wheels Up on the Meals Up initiative and pledged 10 million meals to Feeding America.
As for how the cute couple maintain their romance and their bond. "Russ always talks about the continual surprise and element of surprise," Ciara told ET in April 2019 while on the set of her "Thinkin Bout You" music video. "And he's really good at that. We both try to surprise each other… We also make an effort of really having a consistent date night schedule. So date night is really, really important for us, especially when he's in football."
The pair also shared the secret they've learned to a happy marriage, with Wilson telling ET in July 2019, "I think the most important thing is, first of all, just loving one another, you know? For love, you'll do anything and you take care of one another. And also communication."
"There's always a lot of highs, and there are lows, and everything else, but communication is everything," he added. "And I think when you're able to do that and take care of your kids, it's a lot of fun."
And looking at the athlete's and the singer's Instagrams, there is no denying that they put family first.
"I love being a mom. It is by far the coolest job in life, and I do look forward to having more of those sweet little angels," Ciara shared.
And more sweet little angels they are having. Ciara and Wilson kicked off 2020 by announcing that they are expecting their second child together, her third. In the stunning pic posted at the end of January, Ciara stands on top of a rock formation in Turks and Caicos while sporting a bikini to show off her growing belly.
"Number 3," she captioned the pic, which was taken by Wilson. The two are expecting a baby boy.
On March 26 of this year, the pair celebrated five years since they first met at a University of Wisconsin basketball game and "instantly fell madly in love."
"First day we met, and it was the best day of my life," Wilson expressed. "We got two kids and one on the way…I'll be in quarantine with you forever."
And while quarantining amid the COVID-19 outbreak has made this a different pregnancy journey for the "Like a Boy" singer, she couldn't be happier to be spending time with her hubby and kids.
"We're appreciating this time that we're having together in quarantine. It's a very surreal and unique time, but I do believe there's a silver lining in all of it," she told ET last month. "There's one really beautiful thing that's come out of this, it's us spending the time we're having, because normally he'd be in training right now."
With sports teams having to cancel seasons and practice and artists like Ciara having to postpone shows and stay home, the family is not used to spending so much time together.
"What we did with my last pregnancy was he was flying in, like, twice a week to be with me," Ciara, who is, and was, staying in California during her pregnancies, shared. "So luckily, he's able to be with me and the kids, and we're just making the best of all of it."
"He's stuck with me and I'm stuck with him," she jokingly added.
And if there were one more reason as to why they are perfect for each other, did we mention how incredibly gorgeous they are together?
For more on Ciara and Wilson, watch below.
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