Irewole Olaniyan breaks silence on alleged affair with married man

By Damilola Akinwale –

Popular Nollywood actress, Irewole Olaniyan, has responded to allegations by a woman identified as Maryam, who publicly accused her of secretly dating her husband.

The allegations were contained in a chat that appeared to be an interaction between the actress and Maryam and quickly gained traction online after it was published on Friday. The chat showed a tense exchange between the duo, with the actress insisting that it was not intentional.

Days after the chat went viral and drew public criticism, Irewole responded by sharing screenshots of the same conversation in a lengthy Instagram post, explaining that she only went on a few dates with the man before discovering that he was married.

She further clarified that she stopped seeing the man after learning about his marital status and had already communicated the situation to Maryam, apologised to her, and received her acceptance.

According to the actress, the man allegedly continued reaching out to her despite their separation, which she believes may have culminated in the recent allegations. However, she denied officially dating the man, insisting that she only went on a date with him without any strings attached.

She maintained that she would not have gone on a date with him if she had known he was married, adding that she would not want to be the reason for another woman’s pain.

Explaining what led to the development, Irewole said a video of her and the man was posted by one of the restaurants they visited while on a date. According to her, Maryam discovered the video a year after she had stopped seeing her husband. However, she said Maryam refused to believe her explanation despite accepting her apology, which triggered her reaction after discovering that her husband was still trying to contact the actress.

The actress also accused Maryam of cursing her and threatening to tarnish her image because of her status. She claimed Maryam often linked her flamboyant lifestyle with dating married men, which forced her to respond on some occasions.