Looking at Nigerian celebrities you didn’t know were married before…
Marriage is a difficult task that requires numerous attempts to perfect. Most of the time, the breakups occur during the courting stage, but other people, find someone they think is the love of their life and decide to marry them, only to discover later that they aren’t suitable.
That is who we are looking at today. People who have tried their hand at love and gone down the aisle at some point in their lives.
Some of these people have remarried and found new lives in love, while others have remained single and focused on other aspects of their lives.
Let’s take a look at Nigerian celebrities you didn’t know were previously married…
1. Monalisa Chinda and Tony Obieri
Talk about divisive. Many people are unaware that the veteran Nollywood actress had a turbulent marriage with her now ex-husband, Tony Obieri.
According to Monalisa, the marriage was extremely violent. She had no plans to leave him. In fact, she was opposed to divorce and separation. She desired to fight. However, she claims that when the slapping and beating began,
became too much for him, to the point where neighbors had to cry “Ah ah, is that you?”
She realized it was time to leave when she asked, “Do you do that every day?” Add to that the fact that this was all taking place in front of their daughter, Tamar. Monalisa stated that she could not continue in this manner. So the next morning, she packed her and Tamar’s belongings and left to see a friend.
When she discovered she’d left one of Tamar’s essentials at Tony’s place, she returned, thinking he wouldn’t be there. He was, unfortunately for her. He allegedly beat her so badly that she nearly died. That was the final straw, and it was at that point that she decided to divorce him.
Fortunately, Monalisa found love again, and in 2016, she married her now-husband, Victor Tonye Coker. Since then, the two have been going strong.
2. Stephanie Okereke and Chikelue Iloenyosi
Many people are unaware because Stephanie is most known for her transformation from Stephanie Okereke to Stephanie Linus, although Stephanie was formerly married to former Super Eagles star Chikelue Iloenyosi.
The marriage terminated 8 years later because Iloenyosi was supposedly still legally married to another woman in the United States when he married Stephanie.
Stephanie later found love again and married her current husband, Linus Idahosa, in 2012. They have one son together.
Following her personal love journey, the actress launched Make Me Fabulous, a TV show that brought couples on romantic getaways so they could enjoy each other’s company.
3. Stella Damasus and Jaiye Aboderin
This story touches the heart. Stella Damasus had previously married her spouse Jaiye Aboderin, whom she adored. God had blessed them with two children, and everything was going great.
That is, until Jaiye, 33, went out to play basketball with his friends on December 3rd, 2004. He died there.
The news of his death traveled throughout Nigeria, and Stella’s sadness was felt throughout the country, especially when she was featured in the film The Widow, which was released after his death, breaking the hearts of Nigerians everywhere. In the film, she portrayed a woman whose husband died and who had to endure demeaning and horrifying suffering at the hands of his in-laws and community.
Stella was able to find love again years after his passing, and she is now married to her current spouse, Daniel Ademinoka.
4. Fred Amata and Agatha Amata
Earlier in his life, Fred Amata was married to Agatha, the host of the television show Inside Out. The marriage resulted in two children.
Unfortunately, the romance was not meant to continue, and Fred and Agatha filed for divorce years after their wedding.
Fred later had a brief romance with Nollywood actress Ibinabo Fiberesima, with whom he had one child.
Since Ibinabo, Fred has not remarried.
5. Funke Akindele and Kehinde Almoroof Oloyede
Funke Akindele married real estate billionaire Kehinde Almoroof Oloyede in 2012. Funke was under fire at the time of her marriage since Kehinde was purportedly married when Funke met him, and so she was labeled a “home wrecker.”
The marriage was short-lived, lasting only a year and a few days. Funke devoted herself to her work after their divorce. Her success and renown skyrocketed once she debuted her mega-popular TV show, Jenifa’s Diary, and later in an episode, we received our first unofficial introduction to Funke’s new guy, Abdulrasheed Bello aka JJC.
Later, the two would secretly marry. Their marriage has resulted in twin children.
6. Emeka Ike and Suzanne Rero
We didn’t hear much about Emeka Ike’s marriage to his first wife Suzanne Rero during the show’s run, but we heard a lot about it after it ended.
When Suzanne filed for divorce in 2015, the headlines didn’t stop. Emeka Ike was accused of domestic violence, refusing to allow her to see her own children and emotional abuse. She ultimately decided to seek divorce when one of her children had surgery and she was not notified until afterward. She decided to file for divorce in order to reclaim custody of her children.
Of course, Emeka Ike has his own story to tell. Suzanne, he claimed, was lying. He claimed he loved her and would never hit her. Suzanne, he claims, was the one who began acting strangely near the end of their marriage.
The divorce was finalized in 2017, and both parties have moved on with their lives. Emeka Ike has subsequently married Yolanda Pfeiffer, with whom he has another child.
7. Chika Ike and Tony Ebieriri
Chika Ike married her first spouse, Tony Ebieriri, earlier in her life. Chika talked about some of the problems in her marriage after her divorce. Chika brought much more about the domestic violence she faced in her marriage in her 2018 tell-all book “Boss Up.” I’ll read you some passages from the book. She writes in Chapter 33, Letting Go:
I took the beatings for five years after my wedding day. Leaving an abuser means admitting that you’ve been co-dependent. You’re not running away, but letting go of a person who doesn’t love you after all. You’re letting go of a fantasy, to step back into your real life where happiness is possible.
One time while I was still married, probably in the first year, I took my little dog and left to spend the night in a hotel. But I went back the next day. I was scared to turn away from the perfect image I’d been trying to create.
Leaving meant admitting: This man is never going to change. He doesn’t even like me.
Following her accusations, her ex-husband called her “a disgrace” and accused her of lying.
In an interview with Pulse TV when asked about the ex-husband’s feedback on the book, Chika said:
Everything in that book was the truth. So I didn’t have a fear that he was going to as much as come for me cuz I didn’t say anything out of the ordinary about the domestic violence I faced in my marriage. So everything I wrote in the book was the truth. And this is my truth. I can’t lie about it.
The beautiful actress has remained single ever since then but says she is open and hopeful for love, and to get married again someday.