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LL Cool J is a man of many talents. 54-year-old polyglot star (born James Todd Smith) took over Hollywood as a hip hop artist, record producer, and actor (don’t fall asleep with his comedy Halloween H2O). He now adds the award presenter to his resume because he will post MTV Video Music Awards 2022 with Jack Harlow and Nicki Minaj on August 28. Although the gig is new to LL, he’s no stranger to the event, winning the Moonman monument for his iconic hit “Mama Said Knock You Out” ” in 1991 and the Video Vanguard Award in 1997.
The NCIS: Los Angeles The star is also amazingly successful in her private life. Beating the odds of Tinseltown, LL has been married to his wife, Simone South, for over 25 years! Find out all about their fairy tale romance, below.
LL & Simone’s Meet Cute
Having one of the longest lasting relationships in Hollywood begs the question “Where did it all start?”. LL and Simone met when they were teenagers in 1987. “I was 19, something like that,” LL recalls. Jimmy Kimmel in 2012. “It was Easter and I was driving down the block in my mom’s car.” The star said he stopped to talk to a friend when that friend asked LL if he wanted to meet Simone, his cousin. At first, LL was cool about the idea – but then he caught a glimpse of Simone. “I looked over and said ‘Oh yeah, I’ll meet your cousin.’”
After eight years of dating, the couple officially went public and married on August 8, 1995. As for the reason behind their long union, Simone once denied it. Oprah Winfrey, “Putting God first, we both come from a spiritual background. And compromises, lots of compromises. Choose your battle; mutual respect. “
Simone is a cancer survivor
In 2004, Simone was diagnosed with stage 3 chondrosarcoma after discovering a knot in her leg. A 15-hour surgery and more than two-year recovery, where she had to learn to walk, have kept Simone cancer-free for more than 14 years now. And LL was by her side the whole time. “You don’t leave someone in a foxhole,” LL tells Oprah of her dedication. “You have to be there in the foxhole with them.” Now, the couple helps others battle the disease as supporters of the “Defeat Cancer Like a Boss” campaign.
Beyonce and Rihanna are fans of Simone’s jewelry line
Simone started her own jewelry line after beating cancer. She collaborated with her friend Mary J Blige to create lines Sisterly love and then started a separate line for Walmart called “Simone I. Smith for Walmart”. Beyonce, Cardi B and Rihanna have all been Simone’s clients! Talk about a boss!
She is a proud mother of four
Simone and LL are the proud parents of four amazing children! Their big parents including their son Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith32 years old and daughters, Italy Anita Maria Smiththirty first, Samaria Leah Wisdom Smith26 and Nina Simone Smith22.
