Ciara says it took 'a lot of prayer' to abstain from sex until marriage to Russell Wilson

Ciara says it took 'a lot of prayer' to abstain from sex until marriage to Russell Wilson. The pair tied the knot in July 2016. (Paras Griffin/WireImage via Getty)

Ciara and Russell Wilson remained abstinent until after their July 2016 wedding, and now the singer is opening up about the couple's decision, explaining that it wasn't easy.

"That took a lot of prayer," the 33-year-old admitted to InStyle in an interview published on Wednesday. "It was hard. I can't lie."

The star, who graced the fashion magazine's April cover issue, previously spoke about her and Wilson's decision, noting that "you shouldn't feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you."

CIARA EXPLAINS WHY SHE CHOSE TO BE ABSTINENT BEFORE MARRIAGE TO RUSSELL WILSON

"It's important to have a friendship," she told Cosmopolitan South Africa in 2017. "It's important to have standards."

Ciara went on to reveal that she and Wilson, 30, sat down when they first started dating to have a "conversation" about the "intimacy part" of relationships.

"I have to give credit to my husband for sharing those views," she told the news outlet at the time. "It's awesome how it all worked out."

CIARA SHARES RACY PICS TAKEN BY HER HUSBAND RUSSELL WILSON 

Following the pair's March 2016 engagement, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback and the "Level Up" singer tied the knot four months later at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England.

The happy couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Sienna Princess Wilson, in April 2017. Ciara is also mom to 4-year-old son Future Zahir with ex Future.