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CELEBRITY NEWS

Lana Del Rey's husband's ex-fiance has nothing but nice things to say about him

They were engaged for 12 years


Jovita Trujillo
Jovita Trujillo - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
OCTOBER 2, 2024 8:58 PM EDT

Lana Del Rey, 39, shocked fans last week when she said "I do" in a surprise wedding to alligator tour guide Jeremy Dufrene, 49. The bayou legend has lived a relatively private life aside from brush encounters with celebrities, but his ex-fiance of 12 years, Kelli Walsh, has shared some insight into his life. 

Lana Del Rey and her boyfriend leave Karen Elson's wedding at Electric Lady Studios in New York City
Lana Del Rey and her now husband in September 8

Walsh and Dufrene began dating when she was 16 and he was 19, and they broke up after a year. He then married his first wife, Gina, and they had three children, two sons and a daughter. Their marriage ended and he rekindled with Walsh in 2011 and he proposed in 2012, but they never married and broke up in October 2023. 

Walsh told DailyMail that she found out they were married when she saw the photos and was shocked by how fast they moved because they were "engaged for 12 years, and he got married after one month." 

Despite the shock, she had nothing but nice things to say and was "happy for him." She went on to call him a "very protective, hardworking, manly man." "He needed to get out of his comfort zone. He was used to bayou life and being out on the swam," she continued, saying he is "deserving of this blessing."

Lana and the captain said "I do" in front of the water in Des Allemandes, Louisiana, on September 26, just one month after they went public and five years after they first met on one of his tours in 2019.

An insider told the DailyMail they started talking in 2019, but "they never stopped." "At one point, she messaged him on social media and told him that she was taking a break for a while, but he can call her anytime," they said.

Their first public outing 

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The newlyweds were spotted after their wedding on September 26 sharing a cigarette and vape after dinner. The singer, with a reported net worth of $30M at one point admired her wedding ring. 

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