Kendra Oluchi Etufunwa 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 ...

model and actress, known for her lead role on the

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

hit TV series '' Jacob's Cross''. She has been featured in publications such as South African ''Elle'' magazine and '' Glamour'' (SA) and modeled in advertisements for brands such as Castle Milk Stout, Pepsodent and Knorr. In March 2012, the technology company

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and Nigeria appointed Etufunwa as a brand ambassador for their lifestyles' division.

Early life

Kendra grew up in the suburbs of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

State, Nigeria, with her mother and sister. Kendra is the daughter of a businesswoman and a retired banker. She studied physical and health education at Delta State University (Abraka Campus). Kendra later to pursued a two-year course in human resources at the London School of Business, located in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Career

During the 2006 Lagos auditions for the ''Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria'' (''MBGN'') pageant, she was discovered by an agent, and from there, she started her career in modeling. She gained recognition in Nigeria's modeling industry, securing jobs for Diamond Bank and earning a spot among the 26 models featured on M-Net's Deal or No Deal TV game show. Her early print appearance was on the cover of West African magazine True Love alongside English television presenter and former footballer John Fashanu. In October 2011, the producers of hip-hop awards invited Kendra to present an award at the "Hip-Hop" World Awards. Held in Nigeria. On May 17, 2012, Etufunwa was announced as the ambassador for the ''International African Hair Expo''.

Johannesburg

In 2007, she relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa. She was a lead in the TV commercials; Clorets Gum, Cell C - mobile network and Knorr Cubes, Castle lite beer, Eclairs candy. She has worked on shoots for ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Elle'' and appeared in an ad for Lacoste perfume that featured in ''Glamour'' (SA) magazine. She has walked the runway on various fashion weeks held in South Africa and around the world, Most notable in a show for UK renowned designer - Karen Millen.

Jacob's Cross

While on holiday, the producers of MNET's '' Jacob's Cross'' TV series summoned Kendra to come in for an audition to play the part and supporting role of an angelic daughter by day, and an evil temptress by night. Kendra's performance impressed the producers, and shortly after she was signed on for another season to become the lead actress.

Television and movie

Kendra caught the eye of international directors of a

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

production
''Inside Story''
following the story of a young girl who falls in love and has to deal with life issues and the contraction of HIV. ''Inside Story'' was released to a South African audience in December 2011 and to an international audience in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in the United States in January 2012."'Inside Story' Makes World Premiere on World AIDS Day, Combines Entertainment & Education in Fight Against HIV/AIDS"
, Discovery Communications, 1 December 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Etufunwa, Kendra Oluchi South African television actresses Living people Nigerian female models People from Johannesburg Actresses from Delta State Delta State University, Abraka alumni 1993 births