Ex-fiancée of Lana Del Rey’s alligator tour guide husband reacts to ‘shock’ wedding
The woman who was engaged to alligator tour guide Jeremy Dufrene for more than a decade before he tied the knot with Lana Del Rey is speaking out after his recent nuptials with the famous singer.
“I am in shock because we were engaged for 12 years, and he got married after one month,” Kelli Welsh told the Daily Mail Saturday.
Despite being taken aback by the whirlwind wedding, the 45-year-old said she is “happy” for her ex.
Kelli Welsh, Jeremy Dufrene’s ex-fiancée, is speaking out on him marrying Lana Del Rey. Kelli Welsh/Facebook
“I am in shock because we were engaged for 12 years,” she told the Daily Mail. Kelli Welsh/Facebook
Welsh gushed of the Louisiana native, “He is a very protective, hardworking, manly man.”
“He has always been a giver so to have someone give to him, he deserves it. He is a very solid guy.”
Continuing to compliment him, she added, “His ability to love and care and protect people makes him so attractive.”
The ex-fiancée recognized that Dufrene is about to embark on a new lifestyle given that he is now married to a music superstar, but said she thinks he “needed to get out of his comfort zone.”
“He was used to bayou life and being out on the swamp. He is deserving of this blessing,” Welsh noted.
Welsh gushed that Dufrene is a “protective, hardworking, manly man.” airboattoursbyarthur/Instagram
“His ability to love and care and protect people makes him so attractive,” Welsh added of Dufrene. airboattoursbyarthur/Instagram
Dufrene, seen here on a tour with Del Rey in 2019, works as an alligator tour guide. honeymoon/Instagram
Despite their differences, the ex thinks Del Rey is a good match for Dufrene, as they both look “happy” with one another, adding, “It’s not a fake happy – he truly is in love with her.”
Welsh first dated Dufrene when they were teenagers, but they did not officially rekindle their romance until after he split from his first wife, Gina, with whom he shares three kids.
After his first marriage ended, Welsh and Dufrene began dating again in 2011, got engaged in 2012 and were together until they finally called it quits last October, per the Daily Mail.
However, the mom of one, who has her own 20-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, has seemingly moved on, stating that while she still cares for Dufrene “deeply,” it is “as a friend.”
Page Six reached out to Del Rey’s reps for comment on Welsh’s remarks but did not hear back.
Welsh first met Dufrene when they were teens but they dated from 2011 to 2023 after reconnecting. Kelli Welsh/Facebook
Welsh concluded of her ex, “I care about him deeply as a friend.” Kelli Welsh/Facebook
The “Summertime Sadness” singer, 39, wed Dufrene in an intimate ceremony in Des Allemandes, La., Thursday in front of a few family and friends.
Del Rey — born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant — was photographed looking angelic in a flowing white gown as she walked down the aisle with her father, Robert Grant.
Dufrene, meanwhile, opted for a dark suit, vest and brown leather shoes for the outdoor wedding.
The couple said “I do” just one month after first being romantically linked to one another.
In August, a fan spotted Del Rey holding Dufrene’s hand while at at the Reading Festival in England.
Del Rey and Dufrene got married in an intimate outdoor wedding in Louisiana Thursday. RCF / MEGA
Welsh said the newlyweds appear to make each other “happy.” WavyPeter / BACKGRID
They then went public with their relationship by going to model Karen Elson’s New York City wedding together, which Del Rey’s pal Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also attended.
Although the pairing has sparked some confusion given that Del Rey and Dufrene come from very different backgrounds, it appears the duo has known each other for some time.
In 2019, the “Young and Beautiful” singer posted a series of photos on Facebook from an outing with the Airboat Tours guide, and captioned it, “Jeremy lemme be captain at Arthur’s Air Boat Tours x.”
