Celebrity Bios
Toke Makinwa Top Secrets: 4 Things You Didn’t Know.
If you think you know Toke Makinwa, you might have to think again! Toke Makinwa isn’t just a TV or Radio presenter or a fashionista or entrepreneur, Toke Makinwa is a human and like every other human, she has a story – a story filled with ups and downs, heartbreaks and new beginnings and facts that you might not know.
In this article, we’ll be exploring 4 little-known-facts about Toke Makinwa and how each blow in life has helped her become the woman she is. This will greatly inspire you, so sit tight as we dive into the life of a celebrity who has been through life and facts about her that might leave you teary.
She Lost Both Her Parents to Fire at Age 8.
Toke Makinwa
The year 1993 marked a tragic point for Toke Makinwa and her entire family. At the tender age of eight, she lost both her parents, Caleb Ifemayowa and Modupe Monica Mayowa in a gas cylinder explosion in their home in Abuja.
Toke Makinwa explained in depth how the death of her parents was a turning point for her. In her book, On Becoming, she wrote:
‘’In the movies, you sometimes see a scene with someone burning from head to toe, screaming and trying to fight the flames. It happened right in front of me. Everyone ran back trying to figure out who it was and how to put out the flames, shouting advice from a safe distance.
It took me a moment to realize that it was my mum. I stood glued to the spot, watching her burn… Even after they were driven to the hospital, I could still smell it.
From being a bubbly, friendly child, I became withdrawn and taciturn. From being the child who always came first in class, I went to the bottom of the class”
After the death of her parents, Toke and her siblings moved into her eldest aunt’s home in Ikoyi, Lagos. While this was a downhill pivot for her, it also fueled her resilience and outlook on life.
From Literature to A Thriving Career in Media
Toke Makinwa – Radio presenter, TV personality and Entrepreneur
Toke Makinwa wasn’t born the eloquent presenter and glamorous personality, in fact, at it all started at the Federal Government Girls’ College, Oyo State where she had her secondary education. She then enrolled into the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where she studied English Language.
She seemed to know what she wanted because while in school studying English, she sought for hosting gigs, applied for internships and began to build herself slowly but steadily. She later went on to major in Communication and Media Studies. And her big break didn’t come until 2010 as a media host on Rhythm 93.7 FM in a show called ‘’The Morning Drive’’
Later on, Toke opened up about how losing her parents made her crave expression and how media became an outlet by which she could express herself. In her words:
‘’I had so much bottled up inside me, and I needed to speak, to pour out, to be heard. The mic gave me that power.”
Private Wedding, Public Divorce
Toke Makinwa’s ex-husband, Maje Ayida
While every marriage is expected to be happily-ever-afters, but some don’t turn out that way, behind the glamorous pictures, bags and following, Toke’s love story started like a fairy tale but plummeted, leading to heartbreak, scandal and then, rebirth.
In January 2014, Toke Makinwa got married to Maje Ayida, a fitness expert and founder of HIIT Squad after being in an on-and-off relationship for about 8 years. It was indeed a joyous moment for Toke and her fans not until barely 18 months later, news spread that Maje Ayida had impregnated his ex-girlfriend Anita Solomon even though he was still married to Toke.
Social media went wild, it was the headline on almost every blog, it didn’t just shake her fans, it broke Toke herself. In March 2016, Toke filed for a divorce on grounds of adultery, verbal abuse and emotional neglect and in October 2017, her divorce was finalized by an Igbosere High Court in Lagos.
But while many expected Toke to crumble, she emerged. That same year, she launched TM Luxury, her luxury bag line and six months later released her memoir – ‘’On Becoming.’’
On Becoming – A Story of Loss, Grief and Rebirth
Toke Makinwa’s memoir – On Becoming
While a lot of people would have collapsed under the weight of it all, Toke refused to. In November 2016, she released a memoir, and this wasn’t your regular book, this became a revolution.
In the book, she talked about everything – the painful memory of losing both parents in a fire when she was just 8 years old, her relationship with Maje Ayida, the cheating, its effects on her self-esteem, how societal expectations made her stay when she desperately wanted to leave. She didn’t just write about heartbreak but also about identity, faith, survival and womanhood.
And within 24 hours of release, On Becoming sold out in the major bookstores in Lagos. Celebrities like Banky W, Tiwa Savage and others were physically present not just to get a copy but to support her and appreciate her for telling her story.
It has since then become a kind of language that many Nigerian women understand, about the myth of a perfect marriage and the power of feminity and resilience.
In conclusion, the next time to hear the name Toke Makinwa, let it not only remind you of a bubbly internet sensation but also remind you of a woman of resilience and strength who had every reason to give up on life but didn’t but instead used her pain as fuel to build a legacy that would last beyond her.
Let her story be a reminder, especially to the female gender that it is possible to rise above the ashes and turn your lemons to lemonades not just for you but for others as well.