This shouldn’t be a new gist for you all but rather a reminder!! In the last few weeks, all our attention was turned to the celebrity marriage between Tiwa Savage and her husband, Tunji Balogun popularly known as Tee Billz. Tiwa Savage, who is the leading lady of Mavin Records and unarguably Nigeria’s current biggest female music act, was reported to be putting up with the 5-month old marriage as allegations of lack of trust and even violence kept popping up.
By the turn of last week, the attention seems to have shifted a bit from what can be described as a media/blog circus on Tiwa Savage and her husband. And it has shifted to yet another celebrity marriage, which unlike that of ‘Doro Diva’ as Tiwa Savage is also fondly referred to, has seemingly gone past the stage of redemption.
Just a few weeks ago, if Ini Edo’s name had been mentioned in the media at all, it had to be for either for one or more roles she has played or movies she has produced so far. But all that changed last week when the rumour mill went agog that the popular Nollywood movie star’s marriage with a Nigerian businessman based in the United States, Phillip Ehiagwina, was headed for the rocks.
At first, many thought they were nothing beyond speculations based on the already overflogged matter that the actress was yet to give birth to any child since she got married to Phillip Ehiagwina in February 2009 in the United States. Interestingly, the marriage was contracted after several allegations by Phillip’s first wife, Ruth, who said Ini would feel what she felt before her marriage to the US based businessman crashed. Phillip’s former wife, Ruth, to whom he was married for 5 years also, said Phillip was just deceiving girls all over the place, warning Ini Edo to be careful, a piece of advice that has turned out clearly prophetic just a few years after.
Aside her former husband reportedly asking Ini Edo’s family for a refund of the bride price he paid to marry her, gossip reports indicate Ini Edo had an issue with an unidentified young woman and her friends who accuse her of dating her boyfriend, a certain Lewa. Although it only became public knowledge last week, Ini Edo’s marriage is said to have crashed for well over a month. The rumours of Ini’s crashed marriage increased even more when the actress altered what has been her bio on her social media pages. In fact, looking back now, perhaps there was more to the prayerful plea made on a Facebook account purportedly belonging to Nollywood actor and director, Desmond Elliot of behalf of Ini Edo just last month.
The plea, mainly for the Nollywood actress to be able to conceive before the end of the year reads: ‘We all know actress, Ini Edo, has been married for a while now without any issue. Many of us have laughed at her, insulted her, judged her without knowing the pains she goes through indoors. She has entertained us, made us laugh and has inspired many of us. Today, let us come together and pray for her. Ini Edo, this year, 2014 will not pass you by, you will not only get pregnant, you will also give birth safe and sound. As you write AMEN to this, may God answer all your hidden prayers. Why not write amen? Your amen is so powerful, just type amen on her behalf. God bless you.’
And according to sources, the marriage has been dogged by allegations of infidelity and lack of trust for some time but all the reports, which had the trappings of speculations changed on Thursday, October 2, 2014. That day, the actress, who had not posted anything on either her Twitter or Instagram page for exactly 46 days before the time, tweeted: ‘There is a conscious and malicious attempt to tarnish my image. I asked for a divorce from my ex-husband because of lots of irreconcilable differences. I never cheated on him.’
With the actress having immersed herself so much into the marriage and what would have been the 6th anniversary of the marriage just a month away, many are wondering what is next for her. This is especially regarding the fact that unlike her bio and ring which can easily be altered, Ini Edo’s Twitter handle and her Instagram ID: Ini4phil refers to her former husband.
In her words when asked, the actress said ‘There is nothing to say, as far as I am concerned, there is really nothing to say on my side anymore. I’ve made clear what I had the mind of making clear so there is nothing more to say.’ When we made her aware of reported insinuations by her now former in-laws, the I’ll Take My Chances star actress sharply responded thus: ‘Well, anybody can say whatever they want to say. It is a free world and in such a situation, there are people who are hardly involved but who will come out to say all sorts but I am not disturbed in any way by what they say.’
Apart from the case of Ini Edo which is clear break-up and Tiwa Svage who seems ready to patch up things with her husband and ensure they make their union work, there are a number of celebrity marriages that have gone into the wind in the last two or three years.
