Adesua Etomi is an award-winning actress who made a name for herself in Nollywood before marrying singer Banky W and becoming a household name. She first captured the hearts of Nollywood fans with her role as Debbie in Knocking on Heaven’s Door, a romantic movie directed by Emem Isong. Although this was her third work on the Nigerian movie scene, the role announced her as one act to watch for and she has not disappointed her teeming fans since then.
Summary of Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Bio
- Full Name: Tolulope Adesua Etomi-Wellington
- Nickname: Susu
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: February 22nd, 1988
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Age: 35 years old
- Ethnicity: Esan
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Husband: Bankole Wellington (Banky W)
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Children: Hazaiah Wellington
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Parents: Eniwaju Etomi (mum) & Mr. Etomi (Dad)
- Siblings: Tosin Etomi (Brother), Temitayo Etomi (Sister)
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 6 inches
- Height in Centimetres: 167 cm
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Weight: 55 kg
- Famous for: Being an Actress and Banky W’s wife
- Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s Instagram: Adesua Etomi-Wellington
Adesua Etomi-Wellington is of Esan/Yoruba Descent
Adesua was born in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria to a military father and a civil engineer mother on the 22nd of February. However, she is originally from Edo State and her ethnicity is a mix of Esan on her father’s side and Yoruba on her mother’s side. At the time of her birth, her father has stationed in Imo state the eastern part of Nigeria.
The exact year of her birth has been a dispute in the news. She was alleged to have said in an interview with PulseNG that she was born in 1986. The credibility of this date was called into question because it was not a video interview. Also, it does not match the number of years she celebrates her birthday. Therefore, going by what has been gleaned from her birthday celebrations over the years, 1988 appears to be the correct year the actress was born.
Her Mother is Her Heroine
Although not much is known about her father, Adesua has a very close relationship with her mother Eniwaju Etomi. She is a civil engineer and a pastor and seems to have been more present in Adesua’s early life compared to her father who she hardly speaks of or celebrates like she does other members of her family.
The actress gives credit to her mother for molding her into the person she is today and she never fails to celebrate her mother for all she has helped her achieve. Speculations are that her father is either late or estranged from the family especially because she hardly speaks of him. Moreso, her brother walked her down the aisle at her wedding.
Adesua Etomi Has Two Older Siblings
Adesua’s parents have three children in total, with the actress being the last and youngest of the three. Her older brother is Tosin Etomi who stands as the man of the family in her father’s absence. There are no specifics on what he does for a living but from what the actress revealed in a birthday shoutout to him, Tosin is successful and married with children.
Her other sibling is her sister Temitayo Etomi, founder of the Redwire marketing group. While she is not an actor, Temitayo is just as ambitious and successful as Adesua is. The young CEO is a law graduate from the University of Lagos. She went further to Bristol University England for her master’s degree and then got an MBA from the Columbia Business School in New York.
Temitayo started her career and entrepreneurial efforts at the young age of 17, working with a law firm her father allegedly co-owns. The sisters are very close especially going by what they post about each other on social media.
She Completed Her Education in the UK
Although Adesua Etomi was born in Imo State as a result of her father’s constant transfer as a military officer, she spent her childhood in many different places. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Lagos where she had her early primary education. She had her elementary education at the notable Corona Schools with different annexes in different parts of Lagos state.
After her primary school, she moved to Queens College Lagos where she had her junior high school education. At 13, she made a big move and went to the United Kingdom where she finished high school and proceeded to the university. In 2006, she graduated with a diploma in physical theater, musical theater, and the performing arts from City College Coventry.
Adesua Etomi went further to the University of Wolverhampton, where she studied drama and performance and graduated with first-class honors. Shortly after, she scored a few theater roles that enabled her to put her performance degree to good use. She would eventually return to Nigeria to pursue her acting career in a bigger way since she was not getting the kinds of roles that appealed to her in the UK.
The decision to establish her acting career in Nigeria proved to be a very wise move because she has since become a household name with top-rated A-List Nigerian movies in her repertoire.
Adesua Etomi-Wellington is Currently One of The Biggest Actresses in Nollywood
After her move to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, the first roles Adesua got were in short TV films and she made the most of the opportunity by bringing her A-game. Her excellent execution of these roles in 2013 and 2014 led to her first lead role as Debbie in Knocking on Heaven’s Door. The success of this movie got her a nomination for the most promising actress award.
Since then, the list of Adesua Etomi-Wellington’s movie credits has grown into a long list. She has been part of a good number of movies and each role is unique and well-executed in its own way. Testament to this is the fact that she has won some very prestigious awards for her works.
In 2009, she won the Foresight Theater Awards for Best Performance in a devised piece of work. In 2014, she won the Nollywood Reinvented Awards for best new actress and the Golden Movie Awards for Discovery of the Year. These were closely followed by the ELOY awards for the big-screen actress of the year 2015 for her role in Falling. Finally, she got what was has been termed the biggest award of her career in 2016 when she won the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in the Best Actress in a Drama category. The award was for her role in Falling.
- The Call – 2013
- Brave – 2014
- Knocking On Heaven’s Door – 2014
- Falling – 2015
- A Soldier’s Story – 2015
- Out of Luck – 2015
- Couple of Days – 2016
- The Arbitration – 2016
- Something Wicked – 2016
- The Wedding Party – 2016
- Ayamma: Music In The Desert – 2016
- 10 Days In Sun City – 2017
- The Wedding Party 2 – 2017
- Date Night – 2018
- King of Boys – 2018
- Memoirs of Up North – 2018
- Muna – 2019
- Malika – 2019
- Sugar Rush – 2019
Adesua Etomi’s Biggest Claim to Fame is as Banky W’s Wife
Although Adesua Etomi got the attention and exposure she wanted with her move to Nollywood, her encounter with Banky W cemented her place as a Nollywood sweetheart. It started with the two co-starring in the Wedding Party blockbuster as a couple. The success of the movie exceeded expectations and had fans wishing Banky and Adesua were an actual real-life couple.
In 2017, the co-stars took the Nigerian entertainment scene by storm when they announced their engagement to the delight of their fans. Since then, Adesua has not lacked attention from her fans be it for her movies, new releases, or even for her personal life. Her association with Banky is regarded as her biggest claim to fame because it has revealed a whole lot of other sides to her versatile nature.
Since they became an item, Adesua Etomi has often played the video vixen in some of Banky’s music videos. She also launched a solo singing career with the release of her single “So Natural”. Since it was posted on her official youtube channel, the video has amassed well over a million views that have helped her gain more subscribers on the channel. So while her acting career is going great, she has added singer to the list and promises to still surprise her fans with more of her hidden talents.
The Duo Started Dating in 2015
When Banky and Adesua created so much buzz as the perfect couple in Wedding Party, their fans had no idea that the two were actually a real-life couple. Their love story started with a Direct Message from Banky to Adesua on Instagram in 2015.
According to Susu, the message was hilarious and she knew immediately that they would get along very well. Although she never mentioned the details of this message, she admits it had the right effect. So, officially, Banky W and Adesua started dating in 2015 but kept it private and away from fans and the prying eyes of the media.
Two years down the line when they announced their engagement in February 2017, many assumed it was a publicity stunt for a movie. Since they already had a lot of photos together from their work at Wedding Party, it took a few hours for confirmations to start flying in that the engagement was real.
While many were shocked to discover that they were indeed a couple, their fans were overjoyed with many describing them as the perfect couple. Over time, they have proved to be very deserving of that title in many ways.
Banky W and Adesua Etomi Had a Destination Wedding
Many expected that the couple would take their time on their way to the alter, but that was not the case for the power couple. Nine months after the announcement of their engagement, they tied the nuptial knot in three separate ceremonies that shook the Nigerian entertainment scene.
In what was the most talked-about celebrity wedding of 2017, Banky and Adesua had their traditional wedding engagement on the 19th of November quickly followed by a court wedding on the 20th. To crown it all, on the 25th of November, they hosted fellow stars, close friends, and family at their destination white wedding ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
The happy couple never gave reasons for why they chose to have a destination wedding, but it is believed that they wanted an intimate ceremony that would not be as large as their traditional engagement was. To ensure that only the invited guests show up, they kept the venue far out of reach in Cape Town. Celebrities that attended the wedding ceremony besides their families include Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Captain Tunde Demuren, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, and others.
What is the Age Difference Between Adesua and Banky W?
For a long time before his marriage to Adesua, Banky W was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the Nigerian entertainment scene. Because of this, many often wondered how old he was. The issue received major attention as many wondered just how young Adesua is considering that her career had just taken off while Banky had been an eligible bachelor for a few years.
Banky W, who was born on the 27th of March 1981, is 42 years old. This makes him five years older than his wife Adesua who is 37 years old.
Adesua Etomi Has a Son with Banky W
After two years of waiting and trying, Adesua had her first child with her husband Banky W on the 21st of January 2021. She named her son Hazaiah which means “the God who sees” in Hebrew. While many speculated that they were trying to conceive in those years, not many knew the struggles the couple actually went through.
A few months after they welcomed their son, the couple opened up and shared their conception story with the world at the Water Brook Church, Lagos, Nigeria. Per her admission, she had expected to conceive soon after her wedding, but it did not happen. They soon took to running a whole of tests and trying every suggestion given by the doctor, including two failed IVF treatments. She would eventually conceive a set of twins but equally lost them.
In her search for a solution, she joined the Hallelujah Challenge; an online praise and worship session officiated by singer and pastor Nathaniel Bassey. Through this platform, their faith was restored and they eventually conceived despite the diagnosis of an off sperm Morphology and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
She Has Ammased Quite a Following on Instagram
Since her rise to fame, Adesua has gotten a very huge following on her Instagram handle as well as all of her other social media handles. On Instagram alone, she boasts about 4.6 million followers. She keeps her followers entertained with tiny snippets from her daily life and more of her thoughts, opinions, and of course endorsement videos for brands she works with.
It is noteworthy to add that despite how active she is on social media, Adesua is a private person and does not live all of her life on social media. However, she stressed that she would not hesitate to share her life details and experiences to help others.
How Adesua Keeps Her Hour Glass Body Fit
Long before she got married and had kids, Adesua has always sported a trim physique. She stands tall at a height of 5 feet 6 inches which is significantly taller than the average height for women in Nigeria which is 5 feet 1.3 inches. Being on the very slim side also makes her look much taller. To balance her height, she weighs 59 kg with commensurate body measurements of 33-26-35 for her breast, waist, and hip sizes respectively.
While the actress definitely added some weight after childbirth, she seems to still be in the same weight range as before she had her baby. This has had many people wondering how she did it and what her snap-back secret is. In response to the question, she posts videos of herself at the gym sweating it out as her major secret. She had started working out at home but eventually hit the gym and got an instructor to facilitate her snap-back process.
While encouraging women to be gentle on themselves, she revealed that she made a commitment to be healthy and fit and to take care of the body that God has given her. So, there was a lot of work done beforehand, during, and a little less work after the delivery itself. She walked for 30 mins to an hour every day during pregnancy, and that helped her build some stamina.
In all, she said the goal was to be healthy, so she appreciates her body for what it has done, and embraces the stretch marks to remind herself to be patient and kind to herself as regards her body.
