Marriage crashes have become the order of the day especially in the showbiz industry. Though many will say it happens in other sectors, and that theirs is just in the news because they are famous and can’t hide issues concerning their lives from the general public. But, many still insist it’s more rampant in showbiz. The rate at which showbiz marriages crash lately is really getting scary. In 2021, over 10 marriages crashed, and in the first quarter of 2022, over 6 showbiz marriages crashed and by the time, 2022 will wrap up about 6 others crashed.
And this has kept many wondering what exactly is happening. At the initial stage of the marriage, these couples always look too good together and many even conclude their union was made in heaven and will go on to last forever. Then few years or even months into the marriage, the news of their breakup starts making the rounds.
The divorce rate in Nigeria has continued to skyrocket in recent times. This is due to the prominence of feminism ideologies, domestic violence (this includes, emotional and physical abuse) and several other nuances such as hypergamy, emotional detachment, financial capability, the list goes on.
While there are still countless successful marriages, those who tend to trend and make headlines are predominantly celebrities, socialites and elites whom the populace perceives as their role model, source of happiness, influence and more often than not, path in life.
A well-renowned filmmaker in the industry, who prefers to be anonymous, revealed to City People the real reasons why many showbiz marriages will continue to crash. According to her, one of the major problems is of insecurity. Most especially on the part of the lady.
Most of the ladies married to filmmakers always feel uncomfortable with the relationship their partners share with their colleagues in the industry, most especially, if they are getting too close for comfort.
These actors spend weeks on location with their female colleagues, all in the name of shooting movies and during this period, a lot of things go wrong. According to her, a good number of showbiz marriages are going through a lot, all because of this problem of being away from home. There are so many like that in the industry that the general public has not even heard about.After tolerating and enduring the man (actor) for so long, the wife keeps bearing the emotional torture.
It gets to a point that she wouldn’t be able to tolerate it anymore and the only option that comes to her mind is to end the marriage to get her sanity back.
There is also the issue of men who don’t have a dime to their name, and settling down with a popular actress, will not only provide him with living a comfortable life, but the fame will also rub off on him. This happens to men who move in with their women instead of the other way round. He moves into the actress’s house and becomes the woman at home and then fakes being the husband outside. The lady, being the breadwinner, does irrational things and lives her life as she deems fit. When the so-called husband can not bear just being at the background, he will consider opting out, and before they both realize what is happening, there’s already a crack in the marriage, and ending it all will always be considered the only solution.
There is also this inability of the female celebrities to separate the world of make-believe from their marriages. Movies are scripted and the actors act according to the script. But in marriages, there are many flaws that spring up even when you are not expecting it,”.
Globally, celebrities thrive on publicity and it’s not surprising that they are often the most talked about in every society; everything about them makes the news.
A huge number of people in the entertainment industry often try to portray a perfect life by concealing their struggles and feeding the public with a mirage. But over the years, events have shown that celebrities are also vulnerable individuals who struggle with different aspects of their lives. A common aspect of such struggles is in their marriages.
Marriage, they say, is a lovely union between two people. And when it occurs in the world of celebrities, it exudes fairytale vibes that make many people ask, “God when?”However, many of these fairytale celebrity marriages usually end up with a lot of drama, conflicts, and “breakfast” as added baggage.
There are some break ups that left many fans shocked. Many Nigerians did not see them coming. Like star Actress, Funke Akindele and JJC Skillz who called it quits after six years of marriage. JJC announced via his official Instagram handle that he had separated from Akindele, stating that his marriage with Akindele has had issues for the last two years.
Popular comedian Julius Agwu confirmed earlier in December 2022 that his marriage to his wife, Ibiere had crashed despite reports earlier in the year that their marriage had hit the rocks. Although there were allegations of cheating on the part of Agwu, he said his wife told him she was tired of the marriage.
Paul of Psquare and Anita Okoye’s marriage was one of the messy ones. The duo had been married for eight years before a court in Abuja dissolved their marriage just few weeks ago. In July however, Anita laid heavy allegations against husband Paul, while filing for a divorce. Some of which included infidelity, fraud, being an absent parent, among others.
Veteran comedian, Bright Okpocha, about a week ago announced a breakup with his wife, Elsie Okpocha, after 12 years of marriage. Basketmouth via his verified social media accounts announced an end to their marriage. He wrote, “As much as it pains me to bring my personal life to the public space, this is an unavoidable situation. After much deliberations, my wife and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage.”
In October, Nabila Fash announced that her marriage with singer Oritsefemi had packed up. She accused Oritsefemi of incessant cheating. She revealed at the time that they were currently going through a divorce process after discovering that the singer had welcomed a child with another woman while they were still married.
Nigerian celebrity dancer, Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, opened up on her separation from her husband, Joseph Ameh in January as well. The mother-of-two disclosed the breakup in a video on her Instagram page saying their destinies did not align adding that it was best for them to go their separate ways in order to focus on their careers.
Nollywood actor and former Big Brother Naija housemate, Gideon Okeke, announced in October that he had separated from his wife Chidera, after four years of marriage. Okeke made the announcement on his Instagram page via his Insta stories, although troubles in their marriage had surfaced earlier in August, 2022. Okeke said it was a hard pill to swallow and urged fans to respect their privacy at the time.
In one of the latest divorce dramas, Omotayo, the wife of on-air-personality Kayode Oladotun popularly known as Do2dtun, filed for divorce over alleged forced abortion, domestic violence and emotional abuse. The duo married in 2013 and have two children together.
In a then unreleased track in November, Nigerian rapper and singer John Njenga-Njeng better known as Skales, said he didn’t know he was married to the devil.”
In another December crash, the marriage between the son of the Osun State Governor, Adesina Adeleke popularly known as Sina Rambo, and his wife Korth hit the rocks as the later accused her estranged husband of violence. His brother, Bred’s marriage has also hit the rocks as posted by his wife.
Several added factors have also been identified as reasons for the growing trend of failed celebrities. They include lack of privacy, Making sure marital troubles are kept away from the public eye is the key to the majority of happy marriages. Alleged infidelity, This is one of the major causes of failed celebrity marriages.Then Superiority complex, managing egos among celebrities is a difficult task and that often leads to the collapse of celebrity marriages.
In Nigeria, some argued that when a woman is rich and successful, she will accord zero or little respect to her husband.Superiority complex basically means when a person feels superior to another due to factors such as fame or wealth.one of the factors is The Effect Of Cultural Imperialism, Virility should compliment femininity and vice versa, albeit, since most women prefer to consume Western content on how to “boss up” in relationships and men have preferred to “water down” their strength to fit into a woman’s romantic narrative, there has been an identity crisis in marriages and most relationships in moderns times.Another factor is Domestic Violence (Physical and Emotional Abuse),
While some people are quick to point fingers at men for assaulting their partners, social media has made people understand the quandary of domestic violence better. There is more to every conflict than a mere exchange of blows and shoving one’s partner to the wall.we have cheating and Extramarital Affairs, there can never be trust for a partner who is renowned for philandering. Due to the status of some celebrities, they prefer to stay single; distancing themselves from the ‘illusion’ of ‘finding true love’.what of Emotional Detachment, People do fall out of love and best friends suddenly become strangers. Celebrities are humans too, they go through their phases and have their struggles; it takes strength, commitment and intentionality to continue with a union that is steadily waning.
For context, emotional detachment is an inability or unwillingness to connect with other people on an emotional level. Being emotionally detached helps protect some people from unwanted drama, anxiety, or stress. For others, detachment isn’t always voluntary. There is also the Pursuit Of Happiness, In the pursuit of fame, purpose and greatness, sacrifices must be made. Unfortunately, some celebrities have to sacrifice their family; they have to leave their partners behind in the search for a pot of gold.
Most celebrities are on the field building the next project and attending to their fans, meanwhile, their home is falling apart. They miss the opportunity to watch their kids grow up because they are far from home due to their career. Gradually, this pursuit would decline into emotional detachment between the couple.
