Israel Houghton Has No Regrets About Past; Gives Credit to Wife Adrienne Bailon
Worship leader Israel Houghton said he has no regrets about the events that unfolded in his past that led him to marry daytime talk show host Adrienne Bailon.
"I literally could say I have no regrets," Houghton said on BET's newest episode of "Lift Every Voice" on Super Bowl Sunday. "I have a lot of things that I wish I had done differently given the opportunity to redo it but that would have changed everything, and I am very content with where I am today."
Houghton said what he found most appealing about Bailon was that she encouraged and demanded honesty from the beginning of their friendship.
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"That's where our friendship really became something special," he commented.
"I'm almost too honest for my own good, in this case it actually benefited me," Bailon interjected. "I think God plants little seeds in everybody and we wonder like, 'Ok why am I like this?'"
She said in her past relationships her honesty was not looked at in a positive way but in meeting Houghton, he truly valued her.
"If I had never been that way, we would never be this way," she stated.
The former Lakewood worship leader and Bailon tied the knot last November in an intimate ceremony in Paris, France. The newlyweds shared exclusive footage of their big day with Bailon's co-hosts on "The Real."
With only 50 people in attendance, the happy couple gathered in the midst of their closest friends and family to celebrate their union.
On her show, the bride openly talked about her decision to abstain from sex until their wedding night, saying, "It gives you time to think and find other ways to connect."
Houghton first announced their engagement by sharing an Instagram picture of Bailon's hand in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, sporting a massive diamond engagement ring, with a long caption reading, in part, "I have seen and felt the essence of God's grace through the life, the kindness and the courage of this woman. ... I've taken a giant leap of faith in asking her to share life with me forever and to give me a shot at getting it right this time. She has graciously granted my request. She said yes. Thanks Be To God. Thank you @adriennebailon for graciously loving me."
Earlier in 2016, the "Friend of God" singer publicly announced that his marriage of some 20 years was legally over. And despite the naysayers, the singer gave marriage another shot. News of Houghton, 44, and 32-year-old Bailon's romance first surfaced when she was photographed in a bikini on a beach in Mexico with the worship leader in March.
"I met Adrienne Bailon a bit over two years ago, we worked together and became friends. Our circles connected and we remained good friends. From a friendship, as two single adults we have very recently begun to explore a dating relationship," he confessed in a Facebook post.
Their relationship first sparked controversy because Houghton publicly repented and addressed his divorce in an open letter posted on Facebook not long before dating Bailon. "It is with a collective heavy heart that we announce that after over 20 years of marriage and a long separation, Meleasa and I are officially divorced," he wrote.
"Several years ago I failed and sinned in my marriage," he confessed. "Though this is new to many, it is not new to us as we have been working through this for over five years. Although we tried, the challenges in our relationship have proven too much to overcome."
Bailon was pegged as the reason for Houghton's divorce after the beach photos surfaced. But the actress insisted that she didn't even know him at the time of his personal failure, and said that the public blaming her for his marriage ending was "hurtful." Houghton has since taken leave of his role as worship leader of Pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, but is still doing concerts.
Houghton and Bailon first worked together on the 2013 flick produced by Houghton, "I'm in Love with a Church Girl."
