Newly-wedded actor and model, IK Ogbonna and his Colombian-born wife, Sonia Morales, talk about their interracial marriage
How did you meet?
Sonia: We met through a mutual friend, Oma Iyasara. She was certain we would make a perfect couple.
What attracted you to each other?
Sonia: I was attracted to his confident personality aside from the fact that he is determined and knows what he wants out of life.
IK: My last relationship had just ended and my friend who is also an actress told me about Sonia who she met on Instagram. I maintained that I was not interested until she showed me Sonia’s picture. That singular act aroused my curiosity and I was determined to become friends with her. I sent her a friend request which she accepted. Soon after, we began exchanging messages. Two months after we started chatting, she visited Nigeria for the first time.
Did you court for long?
IK: We started dating before she visited me in Nigeria and got married soon after she was delivered of our baby, Ace.
How did he propose to you?
Sonia: It happened during one of our trips. He managed to surprise me in the most romantic and old-fashioned way. He literally made me cry and I am not a very romantic person.
Did the difference in your nationalities pose a problem?
Sonia: He is a Nigerian while I am from Colombia. When we started talking, he was in Lagos and I was in Paris. Even though our backgrounds, cultures and languages differ, I didn’t feel it would be pose a problem. If you are destined to get married to a particular person, God will ensure the prophesy is fulfilled. There is nothing you or anybody can do to change it.
Did your parents oppose your relationship?
Sonia: My parents love IK like they love me. Without sounding boastful, he is a good man and he has a kind heart. Sometimes, I even feel my parents pay him way too much attention.
IK: My parents fell in love with her the first time they spoke to her on phone.
Now that you are married, do you plan to relocate to Nigeria?
Sonia: I have lived in different parts of the world and living in Nigeria wouldn’t be a problem. I am always able to learn and adjust very fast. Above and beyond, I love my husband’s country. As long as I have my family with me, I am comfortable anywhere in the world.
How do you cope with the demands of his career?
Sonia: I understand the nature of his job and he usually seeks my opinion before doing anything. At the end of the day, we play for the same team. His success is my success.
What would you like to change about your spouse?
Sonia: Loving someone genuinely includes your ability to accept your partner’s imperfections. Nobody will refute your good sides but it takes that special person to understand, know and accept your flaws. I am happy with the way he is.
IK: I don’t wish to change anything about her. I’m comfortable with the way she is.
Do you have access to his phone and social media accounts?
Sonia: We don’t spy on each other because there is no reason to do so. A relationship that lacks trust can be equated to being in prison and agony.
IK: I have neither scrolled through her phone nor given her a reason to spy on me. I know her password and she knows mine.
How do you ward off ladies now that you are married?
IK: I have always been lavished with attention by the opposite sex since I was a child. Becoming an actor has increased the level of attention I receive from females. They don’t even care whether I am married or not. It is up to me to be responsible and stay married which is just what I am going to do.
How has fatherhood impacted on you?
IK: In life you move from one stage to the next and each stage comes with a different set of responsibilities. Now that I have a son, I realise that I have to be a role model, mentor and friend to him. As such, I have to think carefully about my utterances and actions so that I do not set a bad precedence.
Aside from this, I have to work harder so that I can earn more. If I was charging N1m before, now I would charge N2m because I am now responsible for my son’s wellbeing.
Do you plan to have an elaborate celebration in future to commemorate your wedding?
IK: Yes, we would have an elaborate wedding before the end of the year or early next year. My wife is a Latin American but she is also a naturalised citizen of Serbia. I travelled to Serbia to meet with her parents and we had a court wedding. We have not had a proper wedding because she was pregnant and was recently delivered of a baby. I need her to recover from childbirth.
How do you spend time together as a family?
IK: Because my wife loves chocolate and ice cream, we visit ice-cream parlours. We like to hang out together and if I am going to be on set for a long time; she stays with me at the hotel. We are a very religious couple so we do not miss church. When we are at home, we cook and play computer games together.
Would you have married an actress?
IK: Man proposes but God disposes. Left to me, the thought of getting married to an actress has never crossed my mind. I can’t imagine getting married to an actress and she has to play a role where she has to kiss my friend. That is not to say I have never dated an actress. When I was dating an actress, I did not know where the relationship was headed which was a big issue because I like to define everything I do. I don’t want to waste anybody’s time.
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