It’s hard enough finding love but having the added pressure of being a public figure makes things more difficult. Power star and former 3LW member Naturi Naughton had bad luck in the romance department. But thanks to her STARZ co-star and on-screen husband Omari Hardwick, she found the one. Naughton met her new husband, Xavier “Two” Lewis, through Hardwick.
Omari Hardwick felt Two would be the perfect man for Naturi Naughton
Naughton met her new groom through Hardwick. Two is also in the music industry and works behind the scenes. Naughton says there were specific qualities Hardwick identified in Two that he felt were a great match for Naughton.
“Omari spoke so highly of Two to me and I don’t even know that he was trying to hook us up,” she told ESSENCE Magazine in the couple’s first joint interview ahead of their Spring wedding. “I think he was just trying to put us together musically. I don’t think it was intentional. But to this day Omari’s like, ‘I knew this was what you needed!’ I can be a challenge and he knows Two’s the man for the challenge.”
What struck Naughton most was that Two had his own standards for dating that she’d never experienced. And despite her celebrity, he was not swayed. “I have that one-year rule where I want to build a friendship and build something I could see lasting for a long time,” Two added. “I was very impressed that she waited this time out. We learned each other, prayed with each other, went to church with each other, and just developed this real foundation and connection and friendship.”
Naughton was over the heels with the way Two prioritized her and their growing relationship. “The way he emphasized our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, just being able to do things that weren’t about the physical, sex or things like that, it let me know he wanted to dig deeper level and get to know me on a spiritual and an emotional level,” she recalled. “That was how I got more comfortable because I started to see, Wait a minute. This ain’t just for boyfriend time, this is a setup for a husband.”
The couple open up about Two’s relationship with Naturi Naughton’s daughter
In addition to having to get to know Naughton, Two had the added responsibility of forging a bond with Naughton’s young daughter, Zuri. Naughton shares Zuri with her ex-boyfriend, Ben. The two split shortly after Zuri was born and helped navigate their co-parenting relationship through family therapy.
“It was a little scary at first,” the Queens star said. “It took me a while to adjust to having help. To having a man in the house and a person who was there full-time with me, parenting her. “I loved that Two respected Zuri’s dad and the fact that it was just Zuri and I. And I had to learn to trust again. I had to learn how to not compare Two to any past experiences.”
The real test came during COVID quarantine when Naughton was tasked with potty-training toddler Zuri. She credits Two for stepping up to help.
“He was the man of the year because it was a lot of poops,” Naughton joked. “I just felt like the way he stepped up as a father figure in her life and giving her a ring when he proposed, it just made me realize that it was more about the love of family and not just me alone. He really loves my daughter.”
Naturi Naughton’s daughter served as the flower girl at their outdoor wedding
Two and Naughton officially tied the knot in Atlanta on April 2. The romantic ceremony was held outdoors at the St. Regis Buckhead. Several of Naughton’s celebrity friends were in attendance, including RHOA star Shamea Morton, her Power co-star Lala Anthony, and Hardwick.
Over 200 guests were in attendance to witness the couple exchange vows against a beautiful backdrop of cascading purple flowers and greenery, complemented by gold accents. Zuri was right by Naughton’s side as the flower girl, dressed in a white gown.
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