Russell Wilson is giving more insight than ever into his marriage to Ciara, and his role as a stepfather to her son Future Zahir, who is nine.
The "1, 2, Step" singer and the Denver Broncos quarterback have been married since 2016, and together they are raising Future – whose father is rapper Future, real name Nayvadius DeMun Cash – as well as kids Sienna, six, Win, three, and Amora, who was born in December of last year.
The couple met and started dating in March of 2015, and the NFL star has now reflected on how raising his stepson, who was close to a year old at the time, was a responsibility he knew he'd happily take on from the start.
Speaking on podcast I Am Athlete, Russell first opened up about how he knew Ciara was the one, sharing how right before they met, he wrote out what his "five non-negotiables" were for a relationship.
They included being with "a woman of faith," someone who is "faithful not only to him but "everything that she's doing," independent and with "their own identity," as well as "a woman [who] was going to love me the way my mom loved my dad on his deathbed when he was at his lowest," and ultimately a woman who would "tilt the room."
He met Ciara three days after he wrote out his non-negotiables and "prayed" for them, and further recalled: "I walked in the room and I saw – you know little Future he's nine months at the time or whatever – he crawls in my lap," and the realization that "this is going to be my responsibility."
He continued: "I remember leaving that night and God saying to me, "Raising this child is going to be your responsibility.'"
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The doting dad then explained that instead of seeing it as "scary," he saw it more so as an "opportunity," and knowing she was "the one" made him feel ready to take on the responsibility.
"What a gift," he maintained, noting how Joseph was a stepdad to "Jesus himself," and further reflected: "Okay God, you're going to give me this opportunity to love the way that you were loved, like love the way you want us to love."
He added: "That's been the greatest gift of raising Future and Sienna and Win and now Amora, it's like, God gave me the opportunity to raise them, to love them, to care for them, and to teach them, and to love them everyday in that way… that's been the best part."
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