Benzino is back for the third season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta and the former playboy has curbed his wild ways for his new love, Althea Heart.
The couple is going strong and have decided to tie the knot and in an exclusive interview with CocoaFab, Benzino reveals how he plans to prove that he's a changed man.
He also took time to explain the terrifying shooting that left him in the hospital after his nephew shot him on the way to his mother's funeral.
"The bullet went through my right shoulder and got stuck in my scapula. They left the bullet in there. Another one grazed me in my back right above my spine," he said.
"Once I realized I wasn't hit in my chest, that was a blessing. I'm not a stranger to misfortune and violence in the neighborhood. Everybody who grew up in the hood has been exposed to that. I knew to stay calm," he said.
"If you're frantic you bleed a lot more. I wanted to keep the bleeding down. I wasn't cursing or anything. I'm not gonna say I wasn't scared, but I have faith in God and there really isn't too much time to be scared. You have to stay calm."
"I can walk around, that's not a problem. It's about getting my arm back and rehabilitating the nerves that were damaged. There was no permanent damage, but nerves take months to heal and I have to work on my strength. I have a long road ahead."
Plenty of people were puzzled by the peculiar timing of the incident and how quickly the reality star was giving interviews and updating fans through social media.
"With social media everything is instant and stuff is all over the place as soon as it happens. I really didn't mention that he shot me," he said.
"He was the one that called the police and said he shot a man in self defense. It was a really weird situation. After I was out of the fire I felt like as a public figure I should make a statement."
Benzino also explained why he went to the police station before he went to the hospital.
"What happened was after I got shot I was running down the highway because I was bleeding a lot. We were in the middle of nowhere. I jumped in my aunt's car and they just took off over the medium and got off at the first exit. We saw a sign that said police station," he explained.
"The fire department was next door and their ambulance was the one who took me to the hospital. I lost a pint and a half of blood. It took us 25 minutes to get to the hospital after I was shot."
Now that the scary ordeal is behind him, Benzino is confident he will recover quickly.
"I've been doing a lot of different exercises and I'm doing much better now," he said. "I have a lot left to go but I'm mentally strong and I'm gonna pull through this."
Now, the former playboy known for hooking up with multiple women and flaunting his affairs in front of the cameras is focused on his fiancee, Althea.
"When me and Thea ended up hooking up I knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I can whole-heartedly say that i found love and it feels good."
According to Benzino, he has learned some valuable lessons about love that he intends to apply to his new romance.
"At the end of the day, sex and love are two different continents only bridged by emotion. I figured it out. I have been in enough relationships and I have made enough mistakes that I know what it is to stay out of the doghouse," he said.
"Nobody has a perfect relationship, but at this point in our lives, we feel like this is it. We want to build and move toward the future and not worry about the past."
The groom-to-be insists he has a newfound respect for women.
"People confuse sex with love and I was one of those people. Now that I realize they are two different things, you have to fight the temptation. You have to look at your inhibitions," he said.
"I'm saying I will never cheat on Althea. I know that would break us up I just want to prove to her and myself that I have a fully different respect for women. Once you can take that whole sex cloud away and you realize a woman is not a sex object, you can really appreciate a woman and appreciate real love."
He's also using the drama he helped cause between Rasheeda and Kirk Frost to inspire better behavior in his own life.
"Thats my favorite couple. They have stood the test of time. Certain places like Miami, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta…these aren't easy places to have relationships. That's true black love right there."
Benzino admits he's not proud of the part he played in Kirk's disgusting affair.
"I felt bad about it. I didn't want to be responsible for them breaking up," he said.
"I think by them opening up their life and showing people how hard love can be, I think that they're something that people can use as an influence as far as relationships go. Kirk has made mistakes but he has made up for it and he truly loves Rasheeda."
Benzino is hoping fans give him and love the benefit on the doubt when the third season of his hit show, which he calls "the weather report of love," returns tonight.
"Every relationship goes through hard times but it's a test. If love is not tested then you can't know if it's real."
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