By Olaitan Ibrahim
Fitness entrepreneur and media personality Maje Ayida has opened up about his battle with depression following his highly publicised divorce from media personality Toke Makinwa.
In a video that began trending on Tuesday, Ayida was seen speaking candidly at a church event in the United Kingdom, where he shared details of the emotional turmoil he faced after the end of the marriage.
Ayida revealed that the intense public scrutiny surrounding the divorce left him deeply ashamed and forced him into isolation. “I was overwhelmed with shame,” he said, describing how the experience pushed him to withdraw from society.
The emotional impact, he noted, took a serious toll on both his personal and professional life, which led to the loss of several business opportunities, and he even struggled with carrying out basic daily activities.
He said, “I will be honest about the fact that I went through a divorce, which resulted in me being depressed. It was a very publicised divorce.
“And that left me feeling very alone. I withdrew from society; I was really ashamed of my situation. Not just for myself, of course; my self-esteem was affected, but legacy is very important to me. I was ashamed of what I felt I had done to my family’s name. As a result, I went into hiding.
“I didn’t want to interact with anyone. I wanted to be alone, stay at home. I stopped going to work. I found it very difficult to work. It was very hard.
“I not only lose focus but also motivation. I lose the essence of even getting up in the morning. What am I getting up for? Everyone already feels a certain way about me. So, I started to lose work as a result of it. That was when it really started to get to me.
“As a man, your work is your identity, and I started to lose work and business deals, so it became a real problem for me.
“That was when I made a decision. I had to make a decision for my own survival because I was living in hopelessness. It went on for weeks.