Chilli Says She and Boyfriend Matthew Lawrence Don't Talk About Race: 'We Have So Much in Common' (Exclusive)

They may have different backgrounds, but the TLC star tells PEOPLE she and her boyfriend are two peas in a pod

Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Matthew Lawrence are in an interracial relationship, but that fact is a non-factor for the couple. 

"If people of different races hadn't gotten together, I wouldn't be here — that's how I see it," Chilli, 52, who is Black with Bangladeshi roots on her father's side, tells PEOPLE. While Lawrence, 43, is white, "we are American," she says. Asked if they've ever discussed race she says, "No... we have so much in common."

For starters, they're both very family-oriented. "I love how close he is to his family. He was very close to his grandmother," says Chilli, whose own grandma helped raise her. "It's something about when a grandparent had a hand in raising you. You are different. They instill things in you that Mom and Dad can't."

Related: Chilli and Matthew Lawrence Haven't Had an Argument Since They Began Dating Last Year (Exclusive)

Their moms became fast friends as well. "They talk on the phone now," says Chilli of her mother Ava and his mother Donna. "Matthew and I are both like, 'Boy when they get together, we're going to have to have security 'cause they're going to be out of control.' They’re foxy hot girls."

Another area of common ground for the couple is faith. Once, early on, "It was the Sabbath and I said 'I'm gonna pray — do you want me to pray for you?' And I was so nervous because if he came back with he's not religious or this or that, I was gonna cut him off," she recalls. Instead, she says, "He gave me a little list of things to pray for. I was like, 'Thank you Lord!'"

Related: Chilli Had 'Chemistry' with Usher and Reveals How They Were Finally Able to 'Get Over' One Another (Exclusive)

And this isn't the first time she's dated outside of her race. "I had a white boyfriend in high school," says Chilli, "an Indian one, too. No big deal."

What is a big deal is how well things are going with Lawrence. "When you're seasoned, like we both are, it doesn’t take that long to figure out a person. We want to protect [our love], nurture it and grow it."

For more on Chilli’s TLC journey and happy life now, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

TLC Forever airs June 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.

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Read the original article on People.