Joke Silva, has opened up on her marriage to Olu Jacobs, shedding light on their 19-year age difference.
The 63-year-old screen icon also spoke about the influence Jacobs has had on her life and career during a recent appearance on the Stephen Akintayo Leadership podcast.
Silva recounted how she met Jacobs, 82, while seeking guidance in her early acting days.
She said their connection deepened as Jacobs, already an established actor, encouraged her to pursue formal drama training instead of a university degree in Theatre Arts.
Silva said Toyin Olawoye, her sister, endorsed Jacobs, telling her in 1984 that “Joke, this is the man to take to daddy”.
The film star disclosed that despite their strong bond, her father initially opposed their relationship due to the age gap.
She said her mother however supported the union, drawing from her own parents’ similar age difference.
Silva said she eventually married her husband “because I was in love with him”.
“We got married in 1984. I was 24, so it was 1985. He was 19 or 20 years older than me. (I accepted because) I was in love with him. It is as simple as that. He was just a very gorgeous person,” she said.
“I remember one of my sisters, when she was home, I think it was 1984, and I had come back home. We met, and she called me aside and said, ‘Joke, this is the man to take to Daddy.’ That was Toyin Olawoye.
“My dad had issues with the fact that he was older, but my mum was like This is the person they know me with. And her parents had that kind of age gap as well. So it was no big deal.”
Silva started acting in 1981 at the University of Lagos cultural centre.
‘WHY I KEPT MY SURNAME’
Silva revealed that her husband advised her to keep her maiden name after marriage to protect her brand.
“He (Jacobs) was the one who advised that I do not change my name. Because he understood the importance of branding, he said my brand had started building before we met, and changing the brand could cause problems for me,” she said.
“We kept the name Joke Silva as the brand, and within the brand, there was nobody who did not know I was Mrs Jacobs.”
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