Nigerian actress Adesua Etomi-Wellington says her love with husband , singer Bankole Wellington aka Banky W didn’t just happen miraculously.
According to her, she “friend-zoned” her husband, Banky W, for a year and a half before finally accepting his marriage proposal.
She believes that their friendship played a crucial role in making their marriage strong.
She also wanted to build a solid friendship first.
She explained, “The friendship we started over a year and a half ago has played a very big role in how our relationship is today.”
Speaking at a church service in Lagos, Adesua shared that she initially “friend-zoned” Banky W for several reasons. She wasn’t sure if he was the one for her, and she felt that marrying him might add more chaos to her life.
“I friend-zoned him for two reasons. One, I wasn’t sure that I have heard from God about whether this person was actually my person. Actually, three reasons. Second, marrying Banky W [laughs]. I was like, ‘my life on my own is chaotic enough, I would now marry Banky? No, no, no.’
She emphasized the importance of friendship in a relationship, saying “And then thirdly, just trying to at least have a friendship. And I honestly believe that the friendship we laid over a year and half has played a very big role in how our relationship is today. Banky W is my guy. I mean if you take away romance and sex and everything that makes a marriage, he would still be my guy. Banky is my best friend.”
The couple got married in a grand ceremony in 2017 and welcomed a baby in January 2021. However, they faced challenges on their journey to parenthood.
Adesua revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage when she was pregnant with twins, and Banky W shared that they had considered surrogacy after three failed attempts at IVF.
During this tough time, they faced hurtful comments from people on social media for not having a child sooner.