Early Life
Stella Damasus was born in Benin City, Edo State, located in Nigeria’s South-South region. She grew up in Benin City alongside her four sisters and completed most of her primary education there.
Career
Stella began her professional journey as a singer in Lagos, working as a studio session vocalist at Klink Studios, owned by filmmaker Kingsley Ogoro. She refined her vocal skills and recorded numerous radio and television jingles popular in Nigeria at the time.
She graduated with a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos. Stella made her acting debut in the film Abused in 1992. Her breakthrough came with her role in Breaking Point, produced by Emem Isong and directed by Francis Agu, which propelled her to national fame.
She received an African Movie Academy Award nomination in 2006 for her performance in Behind Closed Doors. The Academy nominated her again in 2008 for Widow and in 2009 for State of the Heart. Over the years, she has featured in more than 70 films.
Stella co-founded i2Radio and actively hosts two podcasts: Undiluted with Stella Damasus and When Women Praise, through which she continues to engage and inspire a global audience.
In 1999, at the age of 21, Stella married her first husband, Jaiye Aboderin. The couple had two daughters before Jaiye’s sudden passing in 2004. In 2007, she entered a second marriage with Emeka Nzeribe, which ended after seven months by mutual consent. By 2011, she became closely associated with renowned Nollywood producer and director Daniel Ademinokan. Their relationship, which stirred public curiosity due to their initial privacy, eventually ended in separation in 2020 and a subsequent divorce.
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