On March 23, actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and husband Matthew Ekeinde marked their 18th wedding anniversary.
Omotola Jalade was born on 7 February, 1978 in Lagos. She grew up in a family of five: her parents (both deceased now) and two younger brothers, Tayo and Bolaji Jalade. Her husband Matthew is a pilot and ten years her senior. They met when she was just 16, while he was 26, and he proposed two years later.
In 2001, the couple held a white ceremony on board of a plane while flying from Lagos to Benin, with close family and friends present. In 1997, Omotola gave birth to their first daughter. Together, the couple have four children, Princess, M.J., Meriaih and Michael Ekeinde.
Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, Jalade-Ekeinde has appeared in 300 films, selling millions of video copies. She is the first African celebrity to receive over 1 million likes on her Facebook page.
Her popular nickname, “Omosexy,” was given to her by her husband. “That’s my husband’s pet name for me,” she explains, “and the fans love it, and now people call me Omosexy almost more than Omotola.”
In 2013, she was honored in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world alongside Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Kate Middleton.
“I think that’s what gives me more satisfaction,” she says. “The fact that I wasn’t just recognized as an artist but as an icon — I’m very grateful for it.”
In all interviews, the couple say the secret to their long-lasting and loving marriage is mutual trust, respect and God’s grace.
In their case, the popular cliché “behind every successful man there is a woman” could be reversed: in this case, it is possible to say that “behind Omotola’s successful marriage there is a trusting husband”!
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