Things that have to do with feelings and the heart should always be handled punctiliously and with even more care when the relationships have become legally binded.
In showbiz and the entertainment industry, nothing makes a celebrity trend faster than a juicy marriage scandal and potential breakup.
Even though marriage is the joining of two imperfect people, internet residents expect these unions to be flawless and oftentimes, they have their expectations cut short.
In this article, we bring you some of the juiciest stories of celebrity cheaters, extramarital affairs, and the eventual breakups of some of your favourite actors and actresses in Nollywood.
1. Bolanle Ninalowo
Bolanle Ninalowo Listen, aka NinoB is a terrific actor and film producer in the Nigerian movie industry.
He got married to Bunmi in 2007. According to Nino he met her when he was 24, when he had nothing. They had two kids, Aliyah and Morakinyo.
Nino and Bunmi displayed their love on social media clearly demonstrating how strong their bond was and how close they are but where this story gets interesting is when, in an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Nino admitted to cheating on his wife, which was the major reason for their separation in 2016.
He said: “The years when I was feeling too young and cheating all day, breaking her heart; to the years when I wasn’t there and pursuing my dreams. But, I forgot she was a human being who was taking records and taking experiences of her life as well.”
The couple however got back together in 2018, finding love where once lost, and started a journey to rewrite the records.
This new journey clearly wasn’t enough to put their home back together as it once was because in September, 2023, Nino took to Instagram to announce the separation of him and his wife.
2. Korra Obidi
Nollywood actress and dancer, Korra Obidi, got married to her ex-husband, clinical educator and chiropractor, Dr. Justin Dean in 2017.
Their marriage which was often looked at with a squint due to Korra’s personality came crumbling when her husband Justin accused her of having an extramarital affair while she was pregnant. According to him, Korra told him she was travelling to Nigeria for a friend’s wedding but unbeknownst to him, the journey was for her to go see her new fling.
The dancer denied cheating when she was pregnant but admitted in 2022 that she cheated while she was in Nigeria before she moved back to America to be with him. She didn’t feel any regret for her confession, saying it brought a lot of revelations.
Their marriage came to an end in March of 2022 with a divorce. She was also allegedly forced by Justin to move out of their LA beach apartment.
3. Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele is a groundbreaking actress who has produced some of the highest grossing movies in Nollywood history. She has been married twice. Her and her first husband, Adeola Kehinde Oloyede separated in July 2013 due to ‘irreconcilable differences’ and her second husband was JJC Skillz who she married in 2016 in London.
Funke’s marriage to JJC Skillz seemed to be going smoothly and she even had twin boys with him in 2018 but in June 2022, JJC took to his Instagram to announce their separation.
Some speculated that it was because of Funke’s dedication to her career and political aspirations but nothing could’ve prepared internet residents for the revelation that was made by her stepson.
Benito, son of JJC and stepson of Funke disclosed on an Instagram live session that both Funke and his father have cheated on each other.
In his words: “Funke accuses everyone of dating my dad, but your beloved has cheated on my dad. My dad cheated too.”
He further alleged that the couple had not slept together in the same room for nearly two years.
The couple has since moved on with their respective careers.
4. Mercy Aigbe
Renowned nollywood actress and film producer Mercy Aigbe got married to her first husband Lanre Gentry in 2013. The marriage lasted for six years before their divorce in 2019 due to strong claims by her husband about Mercy’s infidelity.
In a sit down with Bononline, Lanre revealed shocking information about their marriage, claiming that he caught mercy on several accounts with different men, citing an example he said that there was a time she said she was going to China for two weeks but rather went to Dubai with a man.
Gentry also said that Mercy had mental health issues and that he was the only one who knew places they had gone to to ensure her stability.
This man who Gentry said his wife cheats on him with, would later be suspected to be Mercy’s current husband Kazim Adeoti.
A movie marketer and entrepreneur, Kazim was first married to Funto Adeoti, friend of Mercy who also accused her of snatching her husband, further fueling speculations. She claimed that Mercy had been sleeping with her husband when her son was five years old.
Denying claims that she and Mercy weren’t friends, she said: “You were a constant friend of mine back then. I brought you as a close friend because I liked you but you repaid me by sleeping with my husband, Kazim. You were a problem in my marriage for years,… and this is only the beginning of the end for you”.
Mercy and Kazim have denied all rumours and allegations and are still married till date.
5. Yul Edochie
Here’s another one that’d leave you shaking your head.
Popular actor and son of Nollywood veteran, Pete Edochie, Yul Edochie, lovestruck, got married to his wife May Anigwe at age 22 when he had nothing and hadn’t become famous. They have 4 children together, three boys and a girl.
The couple who is now married for over 20 years experienced a shakeup in 2022 when Yul decided to pick a second wife — his fellow Nollywood star Judy Austin. More surprisingly, the actress was already pregnant for Yul at the time of the announcement, which confirmed that an affair must have been going on between the two.
In April 2022, Judy gave birth to her son for Yul, Star Dike Munachimso.
His first wife, May, wasn’t all accepting of this change. In an Instagram post she said she will not be cajoled into accepting polygamy, expressing her anger and disappointment. And in August of 2023, she filed for divorce. However, progress of the case has been slow and the most recent delay occurred on March 5th, 2024.
What was even more unsettling for fans was the way Yul kept flooding social media with back-to-back posts about his new family.
May Anigwe has since taken a bow from social media spotlight and the couple, although not divorced yet, are no longer together.
6. Gabriel Afolayan
In 2020, rumors began stirring of an alleged affair between the wife of popular filmmaker and actor, Gabriel Afolayan, Adebanke Afolayan and husband of actress Adesua Etomi, Banky W.
According to a report by popular blog Gist Lover, Adebanke and Banky W were cheating on their spouses. This affair led to an alleged break up between Gabriel and his wife Adebanke whom he got married to in 2018.
However, in 2023, Gabriel was in the news again, this time not for being allegedly cheated on, but about to start another family.
Back when the rumor of Banky and Banke having an affair was getting louder, Gabriel and Banke unfollowed each other on Instagram but clearly that action was just the tip of the iceberg, as in 2023, Gabriel confirmed having twins with another woman, flaunting pictures on social media.
It was reported that Banke had filed for divorce from the actor but even before that could be completed, a payback had already happened.
7. Tonto Dikeh
Tonto Dikeh was the wife of Olakunle Churchill, a businessman and philanthropist. They met in 2014 at a nightclub ‘Escape Nightclub’ in Lagos and almost a year later in 2015 got married.
Their short lived marriage soon began to crash when the actress began accusing Churchill of bringing up unnecessary problems in their marriage.
In response, Olakunle dismissed her claims and disclosed that the major problem he has been facing since he married Tonto was infidelity and her repeated extramarital affairs.
He revealed that on several occasions, he has caught her having questionable conversations with other men, implying that the movie star has been keeping multiple relationships while being married.
In 2017, the couple got a divorce and Tonto received full custody of their son, King Andrew Dikeh.
Despite their separation, the former couple often drag themselves on social media, with Tonto accusing him of being a deadbeat father. Churchill claims it was the actress who denied him access to their son.
While advising a fellow single mother in 2024, Tonto shared that leaving her marriage was the best decision she has ever made.
8. Adeniyi Johnson
Husband of popular nollywood actress Toyin Abraham, Adeniyi Johnson had his marriage shattered after having extramarital escapades with another woman.
The actress and film producer had accused her then husband Adeniyi of infidelity and adultery.
Adeniyi at first denied her claims and even claimed she was dating Seun Egbegbe while they were married but after photos were released of him and the other woman frolicking where released, Adeniyi had to apologize to his wife and the general public.
The couple separated in 2015 after Toyin filed for divorce after just two years of their marriage that took place in 2013.
Both parties are now married to different partners and have moved past that experience all together.
9. Tchidi Chikere
Tchidi Chikere is a Nigerian actor and filmmaker who has produced several award winning films throughout his career in the industry.
He was married to Sophia Williams who accused him of infidelity after their divorce. She said the cause of their divorce was a lot more than just compatibility issues.
The actor who got married to Nuella Njugbibo very swiftly after his divorce from Sophia began a social media war with his ex-wife in 2014 when he called her “a nightmare”.
He said his ex-wife is trying to ruin his image by making immature accusations at him. He debunked the allegations and even revealed that he is still paying her allowances every month.
Returning the allegations, he accused her of infidelity saying she rarely had time for her family and said she starved him of love and care for years.
The messy conversation between the two continued on X at the time, suggesting the ex-couple had a lot of issues, more than just infidelity.
Tchidi got married for the third time in 2023 and has been tagged a ‘serial groom’.
