Jamaican dancehall icon Vybz Kartel opened up about his past love life in a recent candid interview on the Drink Champs podcast. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, revealed that despite learning of his wife Tanesha "Shorty" Johnson's infidelity during his time in prison, he harbors no resentment. Instead, he forgave her immediately, acknowledging the immense strain his 13-year incarceration placed on their relationship.

Vybz Kartel and Tanesha Johnson share a long history together, having built a life and family well before Kartel's rise to superstardom. Their relationship even inspired Kartel’s album "To Tanesha." The pair also have three children together. But their relationship became under immense strain after Kartel's 2011 arrest and subsequent life sentence for murder. It was later reduced to 32 years before parole. Late last year his sentence was overturned on appeal, and he now awaits a final verdict on his legal battles.

During the Drink Champs interview, Kartel admitted that being away from his wife and family for over a decade took a toll on their bond. He acknowledged that expecting complete loyalty from someone left behind in such circumstances is a challenging demand. "She held it for years, and then she couldn't hold it anymore," Kartel said, showing an empathetic understanding of his wife's actions. Rather than harboring bitterness, Vybz said he chose to forgive her immediately.

"But I still respect her because I understand [she is a] human being... I forgave her immediately because I understand, but I just had to move on," Kartel said. "I have been with her since before I got famous and rich, but like I said, you see, prison is dangerous because when you go to prison, sh*t gets weird. And like I said, she held it for years, and then she couldn't hold it anymore," Kartel said.

He continued: "She was there for me for so many years. It’s not like she did it immediately. She held it down as long as she could. Big up, Shorty, my love. She made me cry. I was in prison [crying], the other prisoners were like, why worry about us... The other baby mum that told me, the snitch, she told me." Vybz Kartel is now engaged to his long-time partner, Sidem Öztürk, a social worker from London. The couple first met in 2015.