Fashion designer Maureen Esisi has disclosed that, in the eyes of the law, she remains married to actor Blossom Chukwujekwu, despite their separation in 2019.
The couple had exchanged vows in 2015, but their relationship encountered difficulties, leading to a split four years later.
Chukwujekwu remarried in 2022, with a ceremony in Benin city, Edo state, with Winifred Akhuemokhan.
However, Esisi, in a candid conversation on The House Chronicles podcast, stated that their divorce has not been legally finalized as she has not signed any divorce documents.
Esisi recounted how Chukwujekwu’s mother initially counseled her against divorce, citing religious reasons, only to later support her son’s decision to end the marriage.
“I would call his mum, she would give me reasons why we cannot divorce. She would say, ‘divorce is not of the Lord. Don’t worry, he would get better.’ And then, magically, he said he was done,” she said.
“And the same you that was telling me every year to stay, how come your son comes up to you that he’s done and surprisingly, you throw God out of the way?
“My separation happened way before it became public. I’m not divorced by books. Technically, we are still married. When you say you’re divorced, it means you’ve signed papers, right?
“I have not signed any papers. I do not even know what a divorce paper looks like. I have not seen one before. But they say after three years of separation you are good as divorced?
“I did not sign any papers. That is all I am saying.”
Esisi emphasized that, from a legal standpoint, they are still bound as she has not engaged in any formal divorce proceedings.
She attributed the breakdown of their marriage to a combination of factors, including communication issues and dissatisfaction with their intimate life.
“Every time I said I was done, I stayed because it is a marriage. You do not just walk away from it. We were not dating. We were married. I kept saying I was done because the marriage was built on deceit. It was not going to work. I just entered with the thought that I could change him. I could change the situation, make it better,” she said.
“That is the mentality we young girls always have when we enter marriages. When we see the red flags we feel like we have been with this person. We can make it better, make it work, we can manage. So that was the mentality I entered the marriage with. But instead of it working, it just deteriorated to a point where…
“It was everything (communication, physical connection, sex life). We were talking but not communicating. Everything was just wrong. We were not intimate. My biggest problem is I am too loyal. I did not know if he cheated on me.”
The designer also touched upon the emotional toll the separation took on her, mentioning past instances where she felt it was the lowest point in her life and even had suicidal thoughts.
Furthermore, Esisi revealed that she faced death threats from someone accusing her of leveraging her relationship with Chukwujekwu for publicity.
