(Photo: Jackson Lee / Splash News)

Who can forget all the hate and criticisms Alicia Keys received when she started stepping out with now-husband Swizz Beatz? Many said the singer stole him from his former wife, Mashonda Tifrere. Even Tifrere came forward and went so far as to blame her for getting in between her marriage and the divorce. Well, it seems that both sides are singing a different tune these days. In a recent interview with Wendy Williams, Keys talked about her relationship, preparing for her second child that is due in December, and why she and Tifrere decided to become friends for the sake of their children.

"You know what I think it really is? It's about the kids: When everybody is able to be an adult, which we all are able to be, and we're able to really recognize that actually, there's a beautiful value about the way that we can all influence each other's lives and the lives of the kids. They can really see that they have more than one woman to look to and say, 'What can I learn here?' 'What can I learn there?' And it's fatherhood and motherhood and it's friendship. It's really, really important and I think it's so beautiful. It doesn't always work but it's totally possible. And it can work when everybody really wants to do the right thing for the children."

The 33-year-old gushed about her husband ("We've known each other forever, and that's the thing that makes us feel like we just have kindred spirits"), but said she'll have to wait and have their second child before deciding if she wants another. Keys also talked about her new children's book, Blue Moon: From the Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee, which just dropped this week, saying, "We really modeled the relationship after myself and my grandmother."

To watch the entire interview, click here.

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