Russell Wilson revealed how Ciara “changed everything” and ruined his plan to be single for 10 years following his 2014 divorce from Ashton Meem.
During an appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn,” the new Giants quarterback explained how he manifested his relationship with the “Ecstasy” singer.
“I was always a perfectionist, you know, I think you’re always hoping that everyhing goes great and there’s a relationship before and I was young and everything else and then all of a sudden I’m single,” Wilson, 36, said.
“I had a whole plan for my life. I was like, ‘I’m going to be single for 10 years.’ C[iara] came, just changed everything.”
Wilson and Meem, who were high school sweethearts, went viral at the 2012 NFL draft when the internet was buzzing over her excited reaction when his name was called.
Wilson and Ciara started dating in 2015, a year after his divorce from Meem.
During his appearance on Anthony’s podcast, Wilson did not mention Meem by name.
“I remember three days before I met C, I remember being at church with Pastor Judah [Smith] and I was talking to him and he said something in a sermon. He said non-negotiables … I said, ‘I’m going to write my five non-negotiables down,'” Wilson said. “The first one was, I want a woman of great faith. She’s got just great faith. She’s a believer. That was important to me because believing in Jesus, all that meant a lot to me. That’s No. 1 thing.
“No. 2 was I want a woman who was faithful, not just to me but to everything that she does to anything and everything that she does,” Wilson continued.
“The third thing is I want a woman that was going to love me the way my mom loved my dad. Just how my mom, my dad was on his deathbed. Just like she was willing to do anything and everything for us and for him. I think that you want a woman that’s got grit and that’s going to be there when it’s thick, when it’s tough, when it’s hard and things aren’t going well, whatever it may be in life when my dad has leg amputated or whatever it may be.
“I think the other thing was I wanted a woman who was independent, didn’t have to be Ciara but had the right identity, wanted to volunteer, wanted to be a doctor, wanted to be whatever it is, but at the end of the day had their own identity. Didn’t want to just be Russell’s wife, but just had their own identity of what they wanted to be and create and do in life.
“I think the last thing was I wanted a woman who would tilt the room when they walked in the room, all the furniture slides her way. You know what I mean? Everything slides her way. I just remembered that I wrote that down. We prayed over it and three days later I met C.”
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback proposed in March 2016 and the pair tied the knot that July.
She was already mom to Future Zahir, 11, from her previous relationship with rapper Future.
Wilson and Ciara went on to welcome daughter Sienna Princess, 8, son Win Harrison, 4, and daughter Amora Princess, 1.
Wilson, Ciara and Future Jr., 10, sat courtside for Game 1 of the Knicks-Pistons first-round series of the 2025 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 19. The Knicks beat the Pistons,123-112.
The couple also attended Game 2 of the Knicks-Pacers Eastern Conference finals.
The couple has been busy making appearances around New York and beyond after the Super Bowl champion quarterback signed a short-term deal with the Giants in March.