Being a father is without a doubt one of life’s greatest joys. Though everyone has a distinct timeframe for reaching particular milestones and the amount of time is relative, Saturday Beats looks at some celebrities who waited a long time before having children.
Niyi Johnson and Seyi Edun
On Monday, July 8, 2013, actors Adeniyi Johnson and Toyin Abraham (then Toyin Aimakhu) married in the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos, it felt like a match made in heaven. For many months later, photographs and videos of them adoring each other appeared on social media on a regular basis, and it appeared to be a fairytale union that would last happily ever after.
Their marriage, however, fell into difficulties and eventually ended in 2015, with claims of infidelity and other vices swirling around. The couple split up due to their irreconcilable differences.
On his part, Niyi gave matrimony another shot when he walked down the aisle with another actress, Oluwaseyi Edun, in 2018.
The couple waited and prayed for the fruit of the womb, which didn’t arrive until February 27, 2023, on Johnson’s 44th birthday, when they received 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 posted the post, he received a flood of well-wishes from both industry colleagues and fans.
On March 6, 2023, the couple held a christening for the twins, which was followed by a star-studded and extravagant reception on April 30, 2023.
Johnson, overcome with emotion, burst into tears at the first leg of the christening, but danced joyfully 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 took place with a man from the United Kingdom. They reportedly married in a secret ceremony in London in 2013. The actress moved to the United Kingdom shortly after her wedding to be closer to her husband.
They did, however, divorce before their second wedding anniversary. Adebayo revealed in interviews around that time that they chose to call it quits because their genomes were incompatible, therefore they decided not to have children. She claims she only discovered they shared the same genotype after they married. She went on to say that they separated amicably.
However, the actress was struck by Cupid’s arrow once more, and she remarried to her current husband, Oluwaseyi Akinrinde, on April 27, 2021. They dated for three years before taking their relationship to the next level, according to reports.
Akinrinde remarked in an interview with City People magazine shortly after their wedding that what drew him to the actress were her contagious grin, ‘wonderful beauty,’ and excellent heart.
Fans of the actress were ecstatic when she announced on social media on April 12, 2023, about two years after their wedding, that they had welcomed a kid.
The actress, who is in her early forties, revealed that she had tried various methods of conception before finally having a baby through surrogacy, writing, “After one failed IVF (in-vitro fertilization), 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, often known as Ini Edo, was clearly overjoyed when she announced in December 2021 that she had given birth via 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 becoming a mother, the actress was married to Phillip Ehiagwina from 2008 to 2014. In an earlier interview, she indicated that the lengthy distance between her and Ehiagwina, who lives in the United States of America, contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.
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.
She married Kehinde Oloyede on May 26, 2012, however the marriage ended less than a year later with no children.
She finally moved on and married Abdulrasheed Bello, alias JJC Skillz, a musician and director, in May 2016. Her followers were overjoyed for her, even if many of them had hoped to learn that she had become a mother. This was despite multiple rumors that she had given birth throughout the years, and a cleric’s prophecy that she would never have children unless she underwent some spiritual procedures.
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.”
