Many Nigerian celebrities have had to kiss their marriages goodbye due to irreconcilable differences.
Beyond the pain of divorce, some of the women have to grapple with whether or not to keep their exes’ last name.
Below are four stars who decided to hold on to their spouse’s surname after their marriages collapsed.
- Faithia Balogun
Nollywood actress, Faithia Balogun, was once married to fellow actor, Saidi Balogun. Their marriage ended in 2014 but the 48-year-old has held on to her ex-husband’s last name. She was once quoted as saying she remained his wife having had two kids – Khalid and Aaliyah – for the Eti Keta actor. Although she has added Williams to her surname, Faithia can’t let go completely of the man she shares the same birthday with. That is enough to give some fans faint hope that they may come back together someday.
- Agatha Amata
Ageless talk show host, Agatha Amata, is the chief executive officer of Inside-Out Media Limited. She was formerly married to actor and incumbent president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Fred Amata. Blessed with two kids – Stephanie and Oreva- the marriage ended in 2005. Fred has gone on to have another kid by a former president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and Nigerian (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima. Agatha recently celebrated 20 years of TV her show, Inside Out.
- Funke Kuti
Femi and Funke Kuti make separation looks appealing. The road to their split was, however, acrimonious. Femi actually called a press conference to accuse his wife and former dancer of cheating on him. Out of the ashes of that scandal rose a friendship that has seen the two grow closer while apart. Funke not only hangs around Femi’s Afrika Shrine regularly, she is part of almost all of his family functions and one of the drivers of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Fela’s death. The role she played during Femi’s 50th birthday celebration in 2012 is the stuff fairy tales are made of. The two are parents to Made Kuti.
- Mbong Amata
Another ex-Amata wife. Mbong was married to filmmaker, Jeta Amata, from 2008 to 2014. A sight for sore eyes, the actress won the Most Beautiful Girl (Akwa Ibom) pageant in 2003 and was 2nd runner-up at the 2004 Miss Nigeria. She met her future husband while she was 16-year-old at an audition in Calabar in 2001. They separated in 2013 and divorced the year after. Speaking about her split from Jeta, she said “I had dreams and aspirations as a young girl and I had my career ahead of me though I got into marriage at a very young age. At some point, one had to give way for the other.” They have a daughter, Veno, together and are believed to be working on a movie together.
