Being a parent is undoubtedly one of the greatest joys of life. Though people have different timelines for attaining certain milestones and the length of time is relative, Saturday Beats takes a look at some celebrities that took a relatively long time before having babies
Niyi Johnson and Seyi Edun
When actors, Adeniyi Johnson, and Toyin Abraham (then Toyin Aimakhu) tied the knot at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos on Monday, July 8, 2013, it felt like a match made in heaven. For many months after, pictures and videos of them doting on each other regularly surfaced on social media, and it seemed to be a fairytale union that would last happily ever after.
However, their marriage ran into troubled waters and eventually sank in 2015, with allegations of infidelity and other vices flying around. Due to their irreconcilable differences, the duo went their separate ways.
On his part, Niyi gave matrimony another shot when he walked down the aisle with another actress, Oluwaseyi Edun, in 2018.
From that point, the couple hoped and prayed for the fruit of the womb, which didn’t come until February 27, 2023, which was co-incidentally Johnson’s 44th birthday, when they welcomed twin children.
An excited Johnson announced on Instagram, “My wife and I waited for seven years. God is indeed good. He planned it as a birthday gift for me, friends, family, fans, well-wishers and associates. I am happy to announce that I am the latest twins’ dad. My wife is doing fine, and ibeji (twins) are doing great. Thank you all.
“This is why I couldn’t post or celebrate my birthday. I didn’t even remember it was my birthday.
“Apologies for not replying to messages, taking calls or commenting on your posts. I hope this good news will make you pardon me. I love you all.”
Shortly after he made the post, it was greeted by a deluge of well-wishes from his colleagues in the industry and fans alike.
The couple organised a christening for the twins on March 6, 2023, which was followed by a star-studded and elaborate party on April 30, 2023.
Overwhelmed with emotions, Johnson broke down in tears during the first leg of the christening, while he danced excitedly during the party held more than a month later.
Biola Adebayo
A pretty actress, Biola Adebayo, is noted for often playing the role of a dutiful wife in movies, and that has won her the adulation of many fans.
In her real life, Adebayo’s marital life was not so smooth.
Her first marriage was to a man based in the United Kingdom. Simply known as Ola, they reportedly had a private wedding in London in 2013. Shortly after the wedding, the actress relocated to the UK to be closer to her spouse.
However, they went their separate ways before their second wedding anniversary. In interviews granted around that period, Adebayo stated that they decided to call it quits because their genotypes were not compatible, so they decided not to have children. According to her, she only got to know that they shared the same genotype after they got married. She added that they parted ways amicably.
However, the actress got struck by Cupid’s arrow again, and she gave marriage another shot when she got married to her current husband, Oluwaseyi Akinrinde, on April 27, 2021. They reportedly dated for three years before taking the relationship to the next level.
In an interview with City People magazine shortly after their wedding, Akinrinde stated that the things that attracted him to the actress were her contagious smile, ‘amazing beauty’, and good heart.
On April 12, 2023, about two years after their wedding, fans of the actress were overjoyed when she announced on social media that they had welcomed a child.
Revealing that she had tried different methods of conception before finally having a baby through surrogacy, the actress, who is in her early forties wrote, “After one failed IVF (in-vitro fertilisation), one cancelled surrogate circle, and three failed surrogate attempts in two years, God has finally blessed me and my husband with a great son through our surrogate mum.
“Through it all, God has been so good to us, and we are grateful for this great testimony. Thank you, Abba Father. God bless our doctors, and God bless our surrogate mum.
“Watch out for my surrogate journey. I will gladly share my story to encourage all the TTC (trying to conceive) parents out there.”
Ini Edo
Actress, Iniobong Ekim, popularly known as Ini Edo, was obviously excited when she announced in December 2021 that she had welcomed a child through a surrogate mother.
During an interview with a popular blogger, Stella Dimoko-Korkus, Edo had said, “Yes, I do have a daughter and I had her through surrogacy. The eggs are mine, so genetically, she is my blood. I chose this path to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother. I still have a good number of eggs frozen in case I decide to do surrogacy again or carry my baby myself.
“Another major reason I opted for a donor is that it scares me so much when I see banter and controversies between a mother and a father over a baby in public forums, or when I see a man insisting he wants his child if things don’t work out between both parties. For me, it is the fear of what that would mean for the child. Ideally, it should be marriage, then children, but we are not living in an ideal world.
“I am not someone who allows any situation to control me. I make lemonades out of lemons thrown my way and I have no regrets. Life itself is so fragile and short to be striving for perfection. I am well and capable of taking care of my own child as I’ve been taking care of myself. I wanted a child and thank God for the options of surrogacy and donors.”
The actress, who stated that she had suffered miscarriages in the past, added, “It is an awesome feeling and experience and as I watch my daughter grow every day, I am in awe of the miracles that God has sent my way, and I am so thankful and grateful to be my daughter’s mother.
“I would recommend surrogacy for anyone having difficulty conceiving. I had a series of miscarriages in the past but that wasn’t my reason for going this route. I still hope to carry babies in my womb in the future, God willing.”
She also maintained that she wanted to keep the child out of the public glare. She said, “I really hope to keep my baby off social media, and that is why I’ve been reluctantly putting her out there. I would love to keep everything about her private for now. There are a lot of celebrities whose children are not growing up on social media pages and living normal lives. That is how I want it to be for my daughter. It is a choice to put her out there or not and I choose to keep her private.”
Before she eventually became a mother, the actress had been married to Phillip Ehiagwina between 2008 and 2014. In an interview she granted sometime ago, she stated that the long distance between her and the United States of America-based Ehiagwina, contributed to the crash of their union. She said, “No matter the indifference or incompatibility, if you’re together in love, a lot of things can actually work out. However, you don’t get to work things out when there is no contact. When you are with someone, and you can’t agree on certain things or find a common ground…I think being together could have actually helped us to understand each other better.”
Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele is indeed an accomplished actress and filmmaker. And recently, she added politics to her curriculum vitae.
However, her marital and motherhood journeys have not been so smooth.
On May 26, 2012, she got married to Kehinde Oloyede but the marriage crashed barely a year later with no offspring between them.
She eventually moved on and got married to a singer and filmmaker, Abdulrasheed Bello, aka JJC Skillz, in May 2016. Her fans were happy for her, even as many of them hoped to hear news of her becoming a mother. This was even as there were several rumours that she had purportedly given birth over the years, while a cleric claimed in a prophecy that she would never have children except she underwent some spiritual interventions.
But, the actress eventually became a mother of twin children in December, 2018, to the joy of fans and well-wishers. Akindele, who was 41 at the time, wrote on social media, “I now bear a new name. I, who was created in the likeness of God. They now call me a new name.”
Also overjoyed, her now-estranged husband, wrote on social media, “Isaiah 61:7: Instead of your shame, you will have a double portion. And, instead of humiliation, they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore, they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting joy will be theirs. I love you, my queen. Thanks for all the love and prayers. May God answer your prayers. #pray&work2019; that’s the new hashtag.”
However, to the shock of many, JJC announced on June 30, 2022, that they were both pursuing separate lives.
Toyin Abraham
Actress, Toyin Abraham’s love life has been followed by many over the years, majorly because she does not hesitate to share with her fans the things going on in her life.
She got married to another actor, Adeniyi Johnson, in July 2013, and many thought they would be in it for the long haul. However, it came as a shock when their marriage crashed irretrievably in 2015.
Both parties moved on, and Abraham subsequently got married to another actor, Kolawole Ajeyemi, in 2019. Some months after, the couple welcomed a son, named Ire.
In an interview in December 2022, the actress revealed that she recently lost a pregnancy. Asked if she was open to having more children, she had said, “Yes, I want to have more kids. I was actually pregnant but I lost it. It is fine though. But when it happened, I cried a lot because I just wanted to have one or two more kids and I’m done, but things happen.”
