Sinmiloluwa Omole: What Is Life Like as a Public Figure’s Wife?

Very few great men have the chance to find true love after achieving fame and fortune. When they do, it is an even greater privilege if the woman they love shares their values and believes in what they truly stand for—especially when these beliefs go against what society widely celebrates.

No one prepares the woman for other greater costs. Perhaps all she pursued was love and a life away from the public light in contrast to her husband’s famous world. Sure, a little spotlight may fall on her when she attends events with him or when the fans seek to know every detail of their hero’s life. But with time, she realises her fairy tale existed solely in her head.

Eventually, she learns that being the wife of a great man comes with attacks: for loving him, for being beautiful. She realises that if (God forbid) her husband passes away, the burden to shoulder his huge legacy will rest on her. And she must keep going while grieving, while finding the wisdom to explain to her children that their dad has gone on an eternal journey with Jesus.

This is the life of the wife of a public figure. The one who earnestly would trade everything the world offers just to have her husband back and live a quiet life with him, far away from all the fame he ever had.

Her beauty was meant to be a gift. Her eyes were once admired as so striking and unforgettable when she was seen as a nobody, but now they are weaponised and called ‘snake eyes’ – the pair belonging to daughters of darkness. Her life and her past are now twisted into conspiracies, as though everything had been orchestrated from her conception. Even the choice of being chosen and loved by the husband of her youth is now seen as a calculated setup.

You want to become the wife of a public figure? It sounds great. But you need to be ready for more. Beyond fame and beauty, be prepared to defend your past, your present, and every gesture you make. For even while your husband lives, the world will try to tear your marriage apart.

“Why does your son have unusual teeth? Do a DNA test.”

“Your wife used to be this. She used to be with that person.”

My dear woman, be ready to take the heat with him. If they threaten him, they may threaten you and your (unborn) child, too. If they photoshop him into infidelity, they will do the same to you. Being the wife of a public figure demands uncommon grace and unyielding strength.

And yet, you must shoulder on. Sometimes this is the price of being chosen and loved by a great man. It is the price of beauty and femininity, carried with dignity, of grace maintained despite cruelty. It is a heavy burden, one that is glamorous on the outside, yet tumultuous and unforgiving behind the scenes.

So buy the satin sheets. Go for the pampering sessions. Take anything that temporarily distracts you from the weight of life you live. And when those sheets are soaked with tears at night, remember that uneasy lies the head that wears the golden crown. Still, let it rest lightly on your head and adorn your beautiful face. Perhaps it is worth the love of a great man, and a life of truth lived under the floodlight of fame and fortune.