Pulse.ng takes a look at some of the celebrity marriages that broke down in the year 2013.
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Funke Akindele: This star of the movie Jenifa headlined the divorces of 2013 with the celebrated break up of her marriage which was not up to one year. Funke’s marriage to man-about-town, Kehinde Oloyede, was predicted by many as heading for divorce-ville going by Kehinde’s antecedents and his womanizing habit. But the pretty actress would heed no one’s advice and chose to be the man’s third wife. The wedding was held with such glamour that many thought it would stand the test of time. But alas, the marriage packed up bare a year later. Their break up had a movie script setting as the husband took to the social media to announce their divorce. Journalists took up the story from there but when the story broke, the actress threatened thunder and brimstone, and vowed to sue the media people for saying that her marriage had broken down. But when the truth dawned on her, she had to give a statement, saying that the obvious had happened.
Chika Ike: Another actress whose marriage break up attracted a lot of attention was Chika Ike, the pretty faced Nollywood star who actually took to social media to celebrate her divorce from her husband, Tony Eberiri. The star actress had been locked in a battle with the man who she once described as ‘her life and the very air I breathe’, to free herself and when a High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, granted her request, Chika was on a high , taking to Twitter and Facebook to announce to her fans that she was a free woman. This act of hers drew flakes from her fans and well-wishers who attacked her for celebrating her divorce. But Chika was past caring as she took the next available flight to the United Kingdom to hibernate and cool off. And since then, she has been in the news, making movies and holidaying in different parts of the world.
Doris Simeon: Nollywood actress, Doris Simeon’s marital woes with her husband, Daniel Ademinokan, can actually pass for a badly scripted movie. For her, she not only lost her marriage to her friend and colleague, Stella Damasus, but she was also embroiled in a custody battle for her only son. It all started like a working relationship between Daniel and Stella as the duo relocated to Abuja purportedly for a movie shoot but after that, things deteriorated for Doris’ home front as Daniel and Stella saw something else in one another beyond a mere working relationship. In the process, they relocated to London where they have been living together with Doris’ son.
Jeta And Mbong Amata: When movie producer and director, Jeta Amata, from the Amata movie dynasty, met the young and impressionable actress, Mbong, and decided to marry her some few years ago, the union seemed to be made in heaven. She was so young and innocent that Jeta must have thanked his stars for unearthing such a rare gem. But fast forward to 2013 and the marriage that was envied by many is now history. Though those in the know say the marriage had crashed over a year before they made it public, 2013 was the year many of their fans got to know that the couple had gone their separate ways. Jeta, in his explanation, said much of the blame should be on him but that did not take away the fact that he had gone the way of his uncles, Fred and Ruke Amata, who are both divorcees.
Baba Tee And Yetunde Oduwole: Any discerning industry watcher will tell you that this was one marriage that was doomed from the onset. For one, London based writer, Yetunde Oduwole, was a divorcee and a woman about town whose escapades was well documented. Tayo Babatunde Bernard, (Baba Tee), on the other hand, was a young man who, at most, was besotted on the older woman who must have charmed him with her mature beauty. Against all odds, the younger comedian cum actor decided to walk down the aisle with Yetunde who was well over 10 years his senior. Barely a year later, the marriage was history, and they duo make our list of 2013 divorcees.
Laide Bakare: This actress, who is a shining light in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood, was also in the news with her celebrated divorce and hers was quite messy. The story goes that she was married to one Mr. Okunfulire who unknown to her, was married to another woman with two children. Though the public was not aware of this, the facts became known when she announced that she had divorced the man and was pregnant for another man, Tunde Oriowo. Okunfulire would not take it lying low as he went public, telling anyone who cared to listen that Laide was still his wife and had committed adultery by getting pregnant for another man while still married to him. He also claimed that the child she was carrying was his but the lady had made up her mind that she was no longer interested in Okunfulire. To buttress her point, she changed from Christianity to Islam and took the name Aisha after a lot of war of words with her former husband.
Mide Funmi-Martins: It was the turn of another Yoruba actress, Mide Funmi-Martins, to taste the murky waters of divorce. Though she came out to debunk the news that her marriage had broken down, close insiders say it was just a face saving act as her marriage had broken down beyond repairs.
Comedienne Princess: This seems to be the saddest news of all as Comedienne Princess Damilola’s 7 months old marriage also joined the leagues of celebrity divorces of 2013. The beefy humour merchant had gone into the marriage with ‘my soul mate’, hoping to have a happy marriage till death parts them. Little did she know that she would not enjoy the union beyond the short period of time. It all started like a bad rumour but at the end of the day, it turned out to be true that Princess’ marriage had crumbled like a badly arranged pack of cards.