Politics

My wife knew I dated actresses, still fed them — Yinka Quadri

The veteran actor spoke about marriage, infidelity and the sacrifices behind his decades-long career in the film industry.

Veteran actor and filmmaker Yinka Quadri has revealed that his wife, Sadiat Adenike, knew about his extramarital affairs with actresses in the entertainment industry.

The 67-year-old actor made the revelation during an interview on the African A-List podcast, which was posted on Facebook on Friday.

He explained that some of the actresses he was involved with eventually became friends with his wife.

He added that some of the women he dated would approach Adenike themselves and tell her about his alleged relationships with other actresses in the entertainment industry.

He said: “I won’t mention some of the ladies in the industry. They would become friends with my wife and tell her I was dating someone.

“Some of them were women I was actually dating, but they went to her out of jealousy.”

He said many of them were taken aback when his wife revealed, after hearing their gossip, that she already knew who they were talking about.

Quadri also noted that some of the actresses he dated often became jealous, even though his wife never showed jealousy or confronted them.

“Meanwhile, my wife would say she was already aware I was dating the person they came to gossip about. She wouldn’t fight them because of that”, said the actor.

Quadri also revealed that some actresses occasionally stayed overnight at his house when shoots ended late.

He said his wife knew about the relationships and still prepared meals for the actresses and attended to their other needs.

Quadri noted, “Sometimes, when production ended late, they would sleep in my house on Kalu Street.

“She would feed them, and even though she knew I was dating them, she gave them everything they needed.”

Quadri acknowledged his wife’s sacrifices, crediting her support as a factor in his success.

He also reflected on other aspects of their marriage that have raised difficult questions about love, loyalty and the limits of sacrifice in a relationship.

Beyond his family life, the actor recalled abandoning his education to support his father’s thriving business long before fame came his way.

He said he kept his passion for acting hidden from his father, who regarded actors as beggars.

He eventually sold an unfinished house to fund a film project.