Who Is NeNe Leakes Dating Mere Months After The Tragic Death Of Her Husband?
NeNe Leakes is a reality television personality known for starring in "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." She also played Roz Washington on the television show "Glee" and appeared on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," per IMDb. Fans of "RHOA" love NeNe for her direct and outspoken manner as she navigates the ups and downs of life, which is why her departure from the series in 2020 came as a huge disappointment. At the time, the businesswoman spoke to her fans via her YouTube channel to explain why she was leaving, noting that it wasn't an "easy decision." It seems that she wasn't able to come to an agreement with producers during contract negotiations and chose to back out of the show.
A year following her departure from "RHOA," NeNe tragically lost her husband, Gregg Leakes, to colon cancer. He was diagnosed in 2018 and went into remission for two years until June 2021 when the cancer came back, per US Weekly. The day after he died, NeNe took to Instagram to post a video of the couple dancing together as she sang to Gregg, adding a string of broken heart emoji in the caption. In the comments, fans expressed their condolences and sent their love to NeNe as she began her grieving process.
This week, NeNe posted a photo from her 54th birthday party in which she was cuddled up to a man, causing fans to wonder if she was dating someone new.
NeNe Leakes celebrated her birthday alongside her new beau
NeNe Leakes took to Instagram following her Atlanta birthday bash on December 15 to post several photos from the party. In one of the snaps, the former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star posed next to her new beau with her arm around his shoulder. In the accompanying caption, NeNe wrote that, although she wasn't feeling up for a huge to-do for her birthday this year, her son hosted a surprise birthday party all the same.
The mystery man posing next to NeNe is businessman Nyonisela Sioh, which sources close to the couple disclosed to TMZ. Not much is known about Nyonisela, nor his and NeNe's budding relationship other than he's from Liberia, Africa, and owns his own couture suit company in Charlotte, North Carolina. Apparently, the two met through "RHOA" star Cynthia Bailey's ex-husband, Peter Thomas.
The news that NeNe was dating again came as a surprise to fans who watched her lose her husband of 20 years, Gregg Leakes, to colon cancer just three months ago. Following his death on September 1, the reality television star spoke to People about the experience. She revealed that the last few days of his life were "beautiful" and that they "made peace with what was happening." It seems that Gregg's dying wish was for his wife to find someone new after his death. NeNe told People that before Gregg took his last breath, "He said he wanted [her] to move on with [her] life."