Music executive Ubi Franklin has opened up about one of the darkest periods of his life, revealing that the collapse of his marriage to actress Lilian Esoro pushed him into depression and nearly led him to take his own life.
Speaking about the relationship, Franklin recalled that their romance moved quickly after they met in January 2015. He proposed just a few months later and organised a dinner to celebrate the engagement with family and friends. However, he said Lilian never showed up, leaving him devastated and embarrassed.
According to him, she later explained that she had developed cold feet. Although they reconciled and even travelled to London together, another setback came shortly after when she reportedly left her engagement ring behind and walked away again.
Franklin said they eventually got back together, went ahead with their wedding and later welcomed a son before the marriage eventually ended. Despite the separation, he said they chose not to fight publicly and have remained committed to co-parenting their child.
The music executive admitted that the emotional toll of the failed marriage became overwhelming at one point, saying he battled depression and made several attempts to end his life before being stopped by his cousin.
Looking back, Franklin said he no longer holds any resentment towards his ex-wife. Instead, he believes some relationships are simply not meant to last and says the greatest blessing from their union is their son. He also encouraged people not to hate those they part ways with but to learn from their experiences and move forward.
He said:
“I met my now ex-wife on the 4th of January 2015, engaged her on the 19th of March 2015. After I engaged her, I set up a nice dinner at the Red Restaurant of Eko Hotel. I invited all my friends, big boys, everybody. And guess what? She didn’t show up.
“I was so embarrassed because it was a big thing on social media… She said she just had cold feet and all.”
“I went through some depressing moments. I remember one time I bought a red CLA and drove to 3rd Mainland Bridge to end my life. The only luck I had was that my cousin came to save me. Several times I tried to attempt it, and he saved me.”
“Sometimes I feel like that relationship didn’t work because it was just meant to be that way… the best result I got from that relationship is my son.”
“But this is the lesson I want you to learn from this. I don’t want you to think that when something happens between you and another human being, you have to hate that person… sometimes it’s just an opportunity for you to learn from the process and keep it moving.”
I attempted s¥icide more than once after my divorce from my ex-wife, actress Lilian Esoro — Billionaire businessman Ubi Franklin pic.twitter.com/t6d9NwElkU
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) July 23, 2026
