Maje Ayida, renowned fitness entrepreneur and former husband of Nollywood media personality Toke Makinwa, has revealed that he battled depression following their highly publicized divorce.
In a candid testimony shared during a UK church service—now viral on social media—Ayida disclosed that the public scrutiny surrounding the breakup drove him into isolation, shame, and despair, lasting over a year.
“I went through a divorce which left me deeply depressed. It was very public, and I withdrew from society out of shame—not just for myself but because of the embarrassment I felt I brought to my family name,” he confessed.
Ayida explained that during this period, he struggled with low self-esteem, insomnia, paranoia, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness that made him abandon work and business opportunities.
“I stopped going to work. I found it very difficult to function. My identity as a man was tied to my work, and losing deals only worsened things. I checked out of life for a whole year,” he said.
He described how stepping into accountability became the turning point that sparked his recovery.
“I realised I was in a dark space and made a choice to get out. I did research and found that taking accountability was key. It felt worse at first, but gradually I began to heal.”
Ayida and Makinwa married in 2014 but split in 2016. Their divorce became a media sensation, especially after Makinwa published her memoir ‘On Becoming’, detailing their troubled marriage. In response, Ayida filed a N100 million defamation suit against her in 2017.
In November 2020, a Lagos High Court ruled in Ayida’s favour, awarding damages of N500,000 each to two defendants and banning further production of the book containing the defamatory content.
