Didi Ekanem Biography – Get to Know the Nollywood Actress

Didi Ekanem (born on August 27, 1988; Age: 54 years old) is a Nigerian actress, fashion designer, model, and social media influencer best known for her role in the 2016 movie Journey to Dreamland.

Didi is one of the many fast-rising Nigerian actresses whose face has continued to grace our TV screens. She is gifted as an actress with great taste for fashion, which she has continued to flaunt for the world to see. This has, of course, increased people’s search for information about her background and career success. Read on to know more about the sensational actress.

Didi Ekanem Hails from Akwa Ibom State

Didi was born and raised in Akwa Ibom State. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ekanem in Iko Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. She belongs to the Efik/Ibibio tribe of Akwa Ibom state. Not much is known about her family, but we know her mother is late and that she has an elder brother, Edidiong Job, who, according to the actress, left Nigeria to live in Canada. He returned back to Nigeria in 2022 after many years.

Didi completed her primary and secondary school in her home state. She attended Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, and Macdonald Memorial School, where she received her West African School Certificate. She then went on to the University of Port Harcourt, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Communications.

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She Began Acting During her University Years

It is difficult to tell how old Didi was when she began acting, but according to her, she started while she was still studying at the University of Port Harcourt. She took part in stage acting, and over time, she switched to the big screen.

Graduating from the Univesity, Didi Ekanem went on to feature in a number of movies with films as Journey to Dreamland, True to Love, Escort Service, Jump and Pass, being among the first movies that ushered her into the Nollywood industry. The actress, however, revealed that her favorite movie is Jump and Pass, which was directed by veteran actor and politician Desmond Elliot.

In 2015, she co-starred with Juliet Ibrahim in the drama Doll House. Other films she starred in the same year include Damaged Petal and Journey to Dreamland. Though not a graduate of the theatre arts, Didi’s years in the movie industry has seen her perfect her acting skill.

She also has benefitted from working with Nollywood stars like Ini Edo, Nancy Isimeh, Ebube Nwagbo, and Bolanle Nonalowo. When asked how she responds to scripts given to her, the actress confessed that unlike her early years in the industry when she just looked out for how many screen roles she was going to take, her experience has taught her to first look at the storyline and her character roles.

For her long years of acting experience, Didi Ekanem is yet to win any award for herself. Still, she hopes to win the Best Movie Actress Award in Nollywood and to become the Nigerian actress to win an Oscar for starring in a Hollywood movie.

Aside from her acting career, Didi is an entrepreneur who has a clothing line named ODOT – an abbreviation of her native name Odot Ukpono which when translated into the English language, means ‘It deserves the honour.’

Didi is one of many Nollywood stars who outrightly kick against women being solely dependent on their men. The actress has made many posts on her Instagram page where she repeatedly urges women to be industrious in every little way they could before agreeing to settle down in marriage with any man, as marriage is not a ticket to freedom.

Didi Ekanem’s net worth is reportedly around $500,000. This rates her as one of the richest actresses in the Nollywood movie industry. The actress has been able to build a name and brand for herself in the industry, and today, she stands as well-recognized in the industry despite coming from a background that had nothing to do with the entertainment industry at large.

Meanwhile, the actress lost her home to a fire outbreak in the last months of 2021. The fire reportedly engulfed everything she had worked for in Lagos. A few weeks after the fire incident, the actress got herself a home where she currently lives.  Part of Didi’s goal is to build a fashion and beauty empire and to win all the best actress awards there are to win.

Is Didi Ekanem Married or Single? 

At 54 years old, Didi is currently single and has remained relatively quiet when it comes to sharing details about her personal life. However, in an interview with news media, the budding actress revealed her kind of man and aspirations. She said her kind of man must be God-fearing, respectful, caring, and a little bad boy character.

Are Did Ekanem’s Curves Natural?

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Actress and fashion designer Didi Ekanem is one of the many Nigerian actresses who are well-endowed with every physical quality a woman ought to have, but unlike other young women who have gone under the knife, this Akwa-Ibom-born actress has refused to undergo any form of surgery.

While quelling rumors that suggest that she had cosmetic surgery to enhance her body, Didi said in an exclusive interview that she had never had cosmetic surgery because she does not have the financial capability to do so. She also revealed that even if she had the funds to pay for the pricey procedures, she would rather use the money to improve her financial stance by expanding her business.

Reacting to people’s perception of her body as her “greatest assets,” the actress called them shallow-minded, adding that she would be on the streets, lobbying men for money if she thought of her body as her assets. “My brain is my greatest asset, not my body,” she added.