Why I married woman 33 years younger — Patrick Doyle

There’s no set timeline for when someone can or should find love; those who say age is just a number may be on to something.

This may be the case for veteran Nollywood actor, Patrick Doyle, who, at 60, got married to a 27-year-old lady who goes by the name Funmilayo.

The actor, a guest on The Muvmnt Studio’s podcast, spoke about the dynamics of his relationship with his wife of five years, despite their vast age difference.

In 2023, Iretiola Doyle stated in an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo that they were officially divorced.

Months later, Mr Doyle announced that he had found love again and is happily married to a lady known as Funmilayo.

Following the marriage, the actor, said he has never been happier.

Other room matters

During the interview, Mr Doyle, who placed his age at 65, spoke about the 33-year gap between himself and his wife of five years and what intimacy is like between them.

In his words, the experience of the other room, a term that has come to connote intercourse between couples, is never-ending.

“The experience of the other room never ends. It’s a continuous process. The learning is ad infinitum,” he said.

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Mr Doyle said that marrying someone 33 years younger comes with its advantages.

“The advantage of that is that the person who’s 33 years younger listens to the person who’s 33 years older. A person who is 33 years older is not a bully or impervious to reason.

“So we are starting on a pedestal of required respect for seniority, and you’re looking at a senior who also respects the junior and is ready to listen. I have to be prepared to hear because, as I said, I draw from the energy of the young around me,” he added.

No contest

Posed with his ex-wife’s popularity and how it measures against his, the actor said he was a superstar and a champion debater at 16.

“I debated against Yemi Osibanjo, the former vice president of Nigeria. As of today, I am enjoying my life,” he said.

He further stated that he believes popularity is not a measurement of success.

Mr Doyle described himself as a person who likes obscurity and said being popular is no longer his objective.

“Do you see me at parties? Do you see me at movie premieres? I have been in the kleiglights since I was 16. I’ve been in it for four and a half decades. It’s time for somebody else to shine. I yield.

“Being popular is no longer my objective. Being profound is now my objective. Being relevant in a very profound and fundamental way is what I am after now, not popularity,” the veteran actor added.

The three-times-married actor, who lost his first wife, Rosamond Ndidi Doyle, to sickle cell disease in 1999, said explicitly that his ex, Iretiola, can never define him.

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“My body of work is too solid to be defined by any human being, living or dead. Why is the name popular? Why didn’t that person revert and change their name at the end of the marriage? So, who is responsible for making whom popular?

“The name predates that person, and it’s okay with me because I’ve done my bit, and I’ve done too well,” he added.

He further stated that he has no problem whatsoever with his ex-wife’s continued use of his name.

“Just enjoy life. It’s a good name, that’s why you’re using it,” he added.