Nigeria: I've Had Failed Marriage With Three Kids, but Nobody Knows - Jim Iyke

9 July 2023

Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke, has revealed that he had a failed marriage, despite having three, but not many people know about the personal issue.

Jim Iyke made this revelation while speaking in an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo.

The father of three stated that his marriage failed due to the death of his mother, adding that he was the cause of his marriage failure.

He said, while grieving over his mother's death, he emotionally abandoned his partner, who recently gave birth to his first son.

Jim Iyke noted that he invested all the love he had in his child and "left his wife behind."

He said, "I have had a failed marriage but nobody knows that. I have three kids. I caused my marriage to fail. I am not the type that would blame anybody for my mistakes. There is a saying, 'to boss up, own up', There is a part of me that would take the easier route out.

"Anytime I did anything mediocre in my life, I always did it when I was emotional because I am extremely proficient in being deliberate and being strategic about everything I do.

"Every time I failed; it was because I got emotional. I became mediocre then I appeal to the smaller man in me and the part that was not emotionally intelligent."

Jim Iyke said due to his closeness with his mother, no one was willing to inform him about her death.

He said, "When I lost my mother, I could not find my feet for years. There was a lifestyle, spiritual connection that I lost. It took them 72 hours to tell me that I had lost my mother. I just got out of an interview in London.

"There is always that one person in the family that is a deliverer of bad news. The person who does that in our family said he would not break the news to me because there is a great chance I would not make it."

On how his mother's death impacted his relationship with his wife and son, the actor stated, "Just when I was getting over it, my woman was pregnant with my first son.

"I had a quiet space, there was nobody around me to take care of me anymore. There was nothing all of a sudden and the grief hit me. The loss hit me and I could not sleep for days. I was irritated and was not the loving man she met.

"I am a goofball, forget the perception out there. I am the prankster of the family and the guy that starts the laugh at the most serious issue. They don't even invite me to family meetings because I start with a joke then my father calls me to order.

"I lost my sense of humour, the lion in me and the leader in me. I just gave myself to the elements, so she suffered for that. I became an obsessive dad. I took everything in me to my son.

"I was changing diapers; I was the proper stay-home dad. I took everything to him and left her behind. I took all my love and attention and invested it in my son and left her behind. I was an excellent father and a woeful husband. They are white, they are not built like us.

"After a while, she said, I can't find who I married. Then we parted as friends. I told her, 'I am here but I am not here. There is no presence here. I don't know what it would take me to heal and bring myself back here but if you want to wait for me I will appreciate it and if you can't I will understand'. She said she can't."

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.