Ini Edo is one of the most prominent actresses in the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood. She has over a decade’s experience as an actress and has been an important part of the entertainment industry for as long as she has had her career. However, the work she does on screen has not been the only part of her life that has attracted media attention. As expected, her love life has provided fodder for the media, particularly the beginning and end of her high-profile marriage to Philip Ehiagwina.
Who Is Phili Ehiagwina?
Philip Ehiagwina is the man Ini Edo was married to for a few years before their marriage hit the rocks. Unlike Ini Edo, Ehiagwina did not have a career in the show business arena, thus, the lack of information about his life.
Rather, he is a businessman who does not live in Nigeria but has made the United States his home. Howbeit, he was born in Edo state which is also his state of origin. He spends most of his time abroad and only comes back occasionally to be with his family.
What Was Ini Edo’s Marriage To Philip Ehiagwina Like?
In 2008, Ini Edo got married to Philip Ehiagwina. It is believed that the couple met in 2007. Although in-depth details have not been revealed about how their romance started, it is believed that they dated for a year, before getting hitched in 2008.
The pair had a grand church wedding in Nigeria in November 2008 and by February 2009, another marriage ceremony was held in Houston, Texas, where her husband was based in the United States. With such a public show of affection and desire to accommodate their differences, one would have thought everything would go pretty well. Sadly, their fairy tale union could not go past the 6th year and it is understandable as long-distance relationships are never easy – the lack of proximity between the couples always finds a way to eat into the relationship and makes it hard for the relationship to flourish. As peculiar to long-distance marriages, Ini Edo and her Philip Ehiawinga’s union featured a lot of trips as they both had to keep going back and forth from Nigeria to the United States in order to stay in touch.
However, despite their struggles to keep being a happy couple, they never made their family affair a public topic when they were together. This hereby makes information on their marriage sparse apart from the numerous speculations that were being made. For one, Ehiawinga is a businessman whose life is rarely the focus of the media, while Ini Edo, despite being an actress, has managed to lead a very private life. These factors contributed to the secrecy in their relationship.
The Real Reason Ini Edo Divorced Her Husband After 6 Years
In 2014, it came to public notice that the Nollywood actress’s marriage had come to an end. There were rumors about what had caused the split. The rumors ranged from Philip having issues with her career to him cheating on her. There were also stories that Ini Edo was actually the one who cheated. However during the period they separated, neither of them addressed the rumors but a year after the divorce, in an interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Ini Edo finally broke the silence on her divorce.
According to her, things ended because of incompatibility which was brought on by the fact they both lived and worked on different continents. The actress stated that there is a possibility that the two of them living together would have made things easier and given their relationship a fighting chance. Obi-Uchendu also asked her if her husband had problems with her career while they were married, she stated that he did not, but he did complain of how much it consumed her time.
Ini Edo also revealed that she has no regrets about the marriage and although his family members made it a duty to constantly check in on her, she understood that they did it from a place of love. However, their split was definitely not on amicable grounds as reports had it that sometime in 2019, the actress intentionally ignored her ex-husband when they met at a party in Lagos.
The pair did not talk to each other throughout the party and sources reported that she made it obvious that she wanted to snub Philip as she jovially greeted a guest next to him but did not utter a word to her ex-husband. This shows they are far from being friends even though Ini still maintains she has no regrets about her failed marriage.
The Men Ini Edo Has Dated Over The Years
As previously mentioned, Ini Edo is a very private person and since her marriage with Philip Ehiawinga crashed, she has not remarried. However, there is only so much she can do to keep the details of her romantic life out of the public’s eye. Here are some men she is rumored to have dated.
A Relationship With The Younger Mike Godson
Following her divorce, Ini Edo was believed to have started a relationship with Nollywood actor Mike Godson. The rumor mill circulated that she had sought comfort in the arms of Godson.
However, Ini Edo and Godson have refuted these stories, referring to them as just mere rumors and speculations. According to both of them, they are very good friends who have known each other for a long time.
Becoming Desmond Elliot’s Second Wife, or Not
Another man whom the actress is believed to have dated is the former actor turned statesman, Desmond Elliot. They have been seen at a number of events together but just like Mike Godson, the actress has insisted that she is simply just friends with Elliot. More so, she has been linked to Nollywood bad boy, Jim Iyke, but it appears that she is only fond of him as a friend and even calls him ‘My big bro’.
It Was Rumored That She Has Dated A Couple Of Musicians
The actress has not only been romantically linked to actors, but she has also been rumored to date musicians as well. One of such is Flavour N’abania. There have been pictures of them being goofy together and this triggered some rumors of an affectionate relationship existing between them. Unlike the other men on this list, she has not denied the rumors of this relationship, neither has Flavour. More so, she has been linked to the singer, D’Banj as the pair have also been seen together in a couple of pictures, however, both are yet to deny the allegations.