Matthew Lawrence and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. Tony DiMaio/Startraks; Roger Wong/INFphoto/INSTAR
Talking next steps! Matthew Lawrence gushed about his romance with TLC’s Chilli — and broke his silence on his split from Cheryl Burke.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, which was posted on Friday, March 3, Lawrence, 43, addressed a question about his plans to have kids with Chilli, 52.
“That’s the game plan. That’s what we’re trying to do,” the actor revealed. “My life is in complete bloom right now. I get to spend time with an amazing woman like Chilli. I’ve never gotten to be able to experience that kind of relationship before. She’s really, really special.”
The Brotherly Love alum, who announced his romance with the singer in January, offered a glimpse at how the couple started dating.
“Really it was [this] flight [we were on together] talking and then afterwards saying, ‘Hey, you know what? Let’s keep in contact.’ And it almost did not happen,” he recalled about crossing paths with his now-girlfriend on a flight amid a snowstorm. “Literally an hour before the flight took off, they said, ‘OK, we got you on this flight. You gotta go.’”
Lawrence’s rare insight into his love life comes after he went public with the performer after his divorce from Burke, 38, was finalized.
The Boy Meets World alum uploaded an Instagram video of him dancing with Chilli in matching onesies on New Year’s Eve. The duo were previously spotted spending time together at a beach in Hawaii after Lawrence and the professional dancer called it quits.
At the time, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Lawrence and Chilli were excited about their future together.
“Chilli has this permanent smile on her face, she’s so happy and telling everyone she really likes Matthew,” the insider shared in January. “He’s equally smitten and it’s very clear to everyone around them that what they have together has a huge amount of potential.”
Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence. Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
According to the source, Lawrence and Chilli were taking major steps in their romance. “They didn’t intend for things to move as quickly, it was a go-with-the-flow situation but right away, they just clicked and wanted to be together as often as possible,” the insider added. “They’re both very optimistic and excited though, it’s an incredibly happy time for them right now.”
After previously remaining tight-lipped about his breakup with Burke, Lawrence addressed how the life change affected him. “It tested me and I learned so much about myself, and I’m so thankful and blessed for the opportunity to grow and that’s what came out of it,” he shared on Friday.
The Pennsylvania native and Burke, who dated on and off for several years before tying the knot, called it quits in January 2022 after nearly three years of marriage. The Dynasty alum did not publicly comment about his dating life at the time.
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After news of her ex-husband’s new romance made headlines, eagle-eyed followers were quick to question a cryptic quote from the Dancing With the Stars alum. “That was fast,” the choreographer, whose divorce was finalized in September 2022, wrote via her Instagram Story in January.