By Nehru Odeh
After what has been in the rumour mill since 2017, Nollywood actress Ireti Doyle has finally confirmed her divorce from veteran broadcaster, film producer and actor Patrick Doyle.
The actress who shares six children with Patrick said she was no longer married to him in an interview with Chude Jideonwo
“We are officially divorced” she confirmed.
Ireti posted a clip of the interview on her Instagram page.
The 55-year-old confirmed that she had her first child at the age of 19 and frankly revealed that “she had no business being married at that time.”
“When you’re an adult, it’s not a life and death situation…there are some situations that are way beyond your control,” she added.
She said, “The truth of the matter is that I had no business being married at that time, period! let’s not talk go to the choice of who I married.
“I can’t sacrifice my life in the alter of your imagination or your fantasy,” she said.
“There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. In this age where everything one says is scrutinised and quartered; it takes a certain level of trust to bare intimate details .. we are here now,” she wrote in an accompanying post.
Chude in his speech disclosed that the actress suffered physical and domestic violence as a teen, and she supported his claim as she added that she had no business getting married at that time, not to talk of who she chose to get married to.
Ireti was studying theatre arts at the University of Jos when she met Patrick. She met her former husband as a third year at the university when she embarked on a trip to Lagos during a period of industrial action to try her hands on acting. There she met Patrick, who was the producer and director of a play.
After the auditions, Ireti maintained a cordial relationship with Patrick, who was her boss while she was working with him as an ad-hoc staff. Working for him for about two or three years resulted in a romantic relationship followed by a wedding. By the time they met, Patrick had already married but lost his wife.