Inside Manhattan’s Hotel Eventi, Chad Johnson and Michelle Williams greeted a room full of press with warm smiles as they walked hand-in-hand to their table. Johnson, a 40-year-old pastor, and Williams, a Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and one-third of the iconic group Destiny’s Child, were on hand this week to promote their new reality TV series, Chad Loves Michelle.
Premiering on OWN tonight (Nov. 3), the newly-engaged couple gave members of the press a sneak peek into their eight-part series, and while smiles were abundant seeing Michelle, 38, squeal after Chad’s surprise proposal, the couple also spoke frankly about abstaining from sex and Michelle’s battle with depression.
Michelle revealed that after Chad asked for her hand in marriage, she considered ending the relationship because of her mental health.
“I said to him you’ve been praying for a wife for a long time, but did you pray for a depressed wife?” Michelle said. “And I told him that he could leave and I think it was easier for me at that time because I could understand, and I really meant it because I would be able to lay my head down at night knowing that this isn’t what he asked for. So yeah, I definitely had that thought.”
For Johnson, the most difficult part of the entire process was having honest conversations with friends and family with a camera just a few feet away. However, the pastor said despite the invasiveness of a camera crew, viewers will see the authenticity between the two.
“One of the greatest takeaways will be the fact that it’s so open and honest,” Johnson said. “Vulnerability. I think no matter if you’re single or if you’ve been married 40 years, I think there is something that you can identify with in something that we’re dealing with as a couple, or as an individual because there’s a lot of self-processing.”
Michelle continued, “I hope people look inward to themselves and kind of just figure out like, ‘Man, what’s keeping me from things that I want? Not just relationships, but are there some things that I’m doing that are blocking some things?’ For me, I’ve learned that I have a lot of pride because I was so happy about what I’ve been able to accomplish along with the help of God, but I was bringing that pride into the relationship. Some of that had to be torn down to let him all the way in.”
Before meeting Michelle, Chad shared how he placed $150 a month into a savings account for 10 years, which was his way of saving for his wife’s engagement ring. It took a lot of discipline to not touch the money when times got rough or when he grew discouraged. However, Chad called on that discipline, as well as Michelle, when it came to abstaining.
“Everybody thinks you’re a minister or pastor but, listen, everything works, okay!” Chad said. “And she’s beautiful and attractive and all the sparks and everything fly. For us, we’re just very intentional. Everything works. We’re attracted to one another but we want the wedding day to actually have an added meaning.”
Chad Loves Michelle airs every Saturday at 9 PM ET on OWN.
READ MORE: Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams Checks Into A Mental Health Facility