Why I retained my maiden name after marriage -Joke Silva

Veteran actress Joke Silva has revealed the thoughtful reason behind her decision to retain her maiden name after marriage, crediting her husband, Olu Jacobs, for the advice that helped preserve her career.

Speaking on Stephen Akintayo’s Leadership podcast, Silva shared that Jacobs encouraged her to keep her father’s name for professional branding purposes.

At the time, Silva said she had already begun establishing herself in the entertainment industry, adding that Jacobs believed changing her name might disrupt her rising profile.

“He (Jacobs) was the one who advised that I do not change my name,” she explained. “Because he understood the importance of branding, he said my brand had started building before we met, and changing the brand could cause problems for me. We kept the name Joke Silva as the brand, and within the circle, there was nobody who did not know I was Mrs. Jacobs.”

Silva also spoke about their relationship, including their 19-year age difference.

“I was 24, we got married in 1985. He was 19 or 20 years older than me. (I accepted because) I was in love with him. It is as simple as that. He was just a very gorgeous person.

“I remember one of my sisters, when she was home, I think it was 1984, and I had come back home. We met, and she called me aside and said, ‘Joke, this is the man to take to Daddy.’ That was Toyin Olawoye.

“My dad had issues with the fact that he was older, but my mum was like. This is the person they know me with. And her parents had that kind of age gap as well. So it was no big deal”, she said.