Brittany Renner is speaking candidly about her conversion to Islam.
The 33-year-old social media influencer, who is returning for Season 12 of VH1’s Basketball Wives, recently spoke exclusively to PEOPLE at the show’s May 2 red carpet premiere event.
Renner tells PEOPLE, “Allah called me back to this platform, to this show, and I feel like the first time that I was here, I didn’t put my best foot forward.”
A press release from Paramount+ says this season Renner “embarks on a transformative spiritual journey.”
“Islam was always something that intrigued me. I love the way that Muslims greeted each other. I love their camaraderie. And every Muslim I ever met was peaceful,” Renner says of how stepping into a new faith changed her life.
However, she tells PEOPLE that the switch didn’t happen overnight.
“Allah put Islam on my heart five, six years ago. But I was not ready to accept it. Right? So it took five, six years and once I got the call to take my Shahada, I just listened,” she says.
The Shahada (shahadah) is the Arabic term for the declaration of faith in one God (Allah) and His messenger. It is the most sacred statement in Islam, according to Islamic Relief UK.
“I felt like if I had not taken my Shahada, I was gonna go down a really dark road,” she says.
The social media star, who has more than 4 million followers on Instagram, converted to Islam in August 2024, per Complex.
“So Islam has made my life better in every single category. And like my husband says, the closer you get to God, the more you get. And literally in every category of my life. I mean, dreams happen,” she tells PEOPLE.
Renner attended the Basketball Wives Season 12 red carpet premiere with rapper Kevin Gates, 39. She smiled while flashing a ring on that finger while gushing about her husband.
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The “Me Too” artist and Dreka Gates have been married since 2015 and share two kids together.
Renner shares a child with her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old NBA player P.J. Washington.
“Miracles happen once in a while, every day, you know?” she says of her religion. “So it has been really beautiful. It’s changed my life. It’s for the better.”
Evelyn Lozada, Jackie Christie, Jennifer Williams and Brandi Maxiell also return for Basketball Wives Season 12 as it premieres Monday, May 5, at 8/7 central.
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