Chika Nancy Ike (born 8 November 1985) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

actress, television personality, producer, businesswoman, philanthropist and former model.

Biography

Ike was born in

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

Anambra state Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

, located in the southeastern region of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. She began acting in church plays at the age of six. Ike began modelling at age 16 after finishing

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. She started business at age 17. In 2004, Ike completed a two-year diploma programme in

Human Kinetics Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health i ...

and Health Education, followed by a degree in this subject from

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

. Ike's career accelerated in 2005 after starring in the movie ''Bless The Child''. In 2014, she graduated from the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

in Los Angeles, California where she studied film-making. She founded her production company, Chika Ike Production in 2014.

Film and television career

Ike began her film career in 2005 when she played a minor character in the movie ''Sweet Love''. She got her first major role that same year in a movie titled ''Bless the Child'' and has since played major roles in over a hundred movies, such as ''Paradise'', ''Mirror of Beauty'', ''To Love a Stranger'', ''Girls Got Reloaded'', ''Happy Ending'', ''Yes We Will'', ''Anointed Queen'' and ''The Prince and the Princess''. In 2007, ''Mirror of Beauty'' was shown in Cineworld and Odeon cinemas across the U.K and in 2008 it was selected and screened at the Cannes film festival. Her production company, Chika Ike Production produced her first movie ''Miss Teacher'' in 2014, and her

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

'' African Diva Reality TV Show'' of which she is the executive producer, host and a member of the judging panel. The first season aired on DStv and the second season aired on

AIT An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

. In 2015, she collaborated with

Rok Studios Rok Studios is a Nigerian film production company. Its production studios is based in Anthony Village, Lagos. The company was founded in August 2013 by Mary Remmy Njoku. In addition to its numerous films, Rok Studios has produced over 12 TV ser ...

to produce the movies ''Happy Ending'' and ''Stuck on You''. Ike is also a writer. Her debut book ''Boss Up'' was endorsed by the Harvard Business School.

Philanthropy

Ike established the foundation Help the Child, which is aimed at helping poor children. In 2012, she threw a street party where she hosted over 3000 children, feeding them and giving out toys, school bags and writing materials. Every year she organizes a major charity event for the children on the street, provides scholarships, and provides them with school writing materials.

Fashion career

In 2011, Ike founded her fashion line Fancy Nancy and launched it in

Abuja, Nigeria Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

Personal life

Ike has been outspoken on

abusive relationship Relational aggression, alternative aggression, or relational bullying is a type of aggression in which harm is caused by damaging someone's relationships or social status.McGrath, Mary Zabolio (2006). ''School Bullying: Tools for Avoiding Harm an ...

s, having been a victim of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. In 2013, she opened up about how she was domestically abused in her past marriage. She filed for divorce in 2013 after seven years of marriage She eventually announced through her

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page that she was officially divorced, which upset some of her fans. Ike has successfully invested in real estate. She has a real estate project titled The Maison. The housing project is designed to meet the home ownership needs of people. She was admitted into the Executive MBA Programme in Harvard University in 2017.

Awards and nominations

Ike has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Upcoming Actress, 2008, and the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2009 for her performance in the movie ''The Assassin''.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ike, Chika 1985 births Living people 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Onitsha University of Lagos alumni Actresses from Anambra State Nigerian television personalities Nigerian film producers Nigerian female models Nigerian philanthropists New York Film Academy alumni Igbo actresses Nigerian women film producers Nigerian women in business Nigerian chief executives Nigerian television producers Nigerian women television producers