NeNe Leakes is a Proud Grandmother

NeNe Leakes, 44, is gushing over the new addition to her family. If you think she had a baby or adopted, think again. Her 22-year-old son, Bryson, and his girlfriend, Ashley Hill, 21, are the proud parents of a new baby girl.

The outspoken and business savvy grandmother tells In Touch she’s always wanted a girl. “… And now I have one,” she says. “She’s just adorable.”

Bryson and Ashley welcomed Bri’asia Bryant in mid-June and since then her reality TV grandmother has been spoiling her rotten. “I paid for everything in the nursery: the clothing, the diapers. I don’t want her to feel strapped,” Leakes says. She’s even treated little Bri’asia to her first pair of Gucci shoes, a bevy of little dresses and sparkly headbands.

Her new granddaughter came as a surprise. Bryson kept the news from her for over six months. “I only found out about everything because I ran into Ashley when she was more than six months along. I said, ‘You look pregnant.’ And she said, ‘Hasn’t Bryson told you?’ But he hadn’t because he knew that I wouldn’t approve of him having a child so young.” She honestly knows the difficulty of having kids at a young age. “I didn’t feel like he was ready for such a big responsibility. I was his age when I had him, so I know how tough it is. I didn’t want him to make the same mistakes that I did. I needed to let it sink in.”

At first, Leakes says she wasn’t thrilled about the name “grandma.” However, things have changed. “Forty is the new 30,” she says. “I’m a sassy, fashion-forward grandma!”

Congrats to NeNe Leakes, Bryson and Ashley Hill on their new bundle of joy!