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Eku Edewor

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Eku Edewor
Edewor during a photo shoot for Genevieve magazine in July 2014
Born
Georgina Chloe Eku Edewor-Thorley

(1986-12-18) 18 December 1986 (age 37)[1]
London, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish Nigerian
CitizenshipNigerian
British
EducationWarwick University, New York Film Academy
Occupation(s)Actress, television presenter, model
Years active2007-present
Children1
Parent(s)Juliana Edewor (mother)
Hugh Thorley (father)

Georgina Chloe Eku Edewor-Thorley, otherwise known as Eku Edewor (born 18 December 1986), is a British Nigerian actress, television presenter, and model. She is best known for her work as host of the entertainment television program 53 Extra on Africa Magic.

Early life and education

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Edewor was born at Portland Hospital in London, along with her twin sister Kessiana. Her mother is Juliana Edewor, an interior designer, restaurateur, and art collector originally from Delta State.[2] Her father, Hugh Thorley, is British and has worked in the food and beverage supply and logistics industries.[3] Edewor's parents divorced when she was young and both remarried. Her late stepfather, Peter Thomas, was a businessman and lawyer from Lagos.[4] On her maternal side, she is the granddaughter of the billionaire Chief James Edewor, a titled member of the Nigerian chieftaincy system.[5]

Edewor was raised in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She lived in Lagos until the age of 13, receiving her primary education at St. Saviour's School and Grange School.[2] Eku then travelled back to the United Kingdom, where she attended boarding school at the Benenden School for Girls. She travelled often with her family, spending Christmases in Eku, her ancestral village in Delta State, and summers in America, Europe, and other African countries.[6]

Edewor attended Warwick University in Coventry, England. She pursued a degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies, graduating with honours in 2008.[2] She then successfully completed a three-month course in acting for film at the New York Film Academy in 2009.[7]

Career

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Edewor's first television appearance was in 2006, when she competed in the reality show Britain’s Next Top Model under the name "Georgina Edewor-Thorley".[8] She appeared in theatre productions while studying at Warwick University and the New York Film Academy. Her first job in the entertainment industry was as a production assistant to producer Damian Jones. She worked at his company DJ Films from September 2008 through October 2009. She appeared in the 2010 film Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll as "Party Girl".[9]

In 2010, after the loss of her stepfather, Edewor returned to Nigeria to work in her mother's restaurant, the Chardonnay Restaurant and Bar, so that her mother could focus on her career as an interior designer. Five months after she returned, she attended an open audition for co-presenter on 53 Extra (formerly Studio 53 Extra), an entertainment show produced by M-NET and airing on the DStv's Africa Magic channel.[2] 53 Extra is a spin-off of Africa Magic's flagship magazine show Studio 53, which was named for the 53 countries in the African Union. 53 Extra features music, film, fashion, red carpet events, and news about celebrities and industry leaders from across the African continent.[10]

Since landing her role on 53 Extra, Edewor has made several other television appearances; she co-hosted the Big Brother Africa All Stars live red carpet show in 2010, and she has also hosted the Pepsi Top Ten Countdown since 2012.[11] She has appeared in commercials for M-NET's 25th Anniversary and also commercials for Martini. Edewor starred as Sade Coker in the television series The Island, which was shot in 2012 and is due to air in 2015[12] and played Nicole in the online series How She Left My Brother. For her first major film role, she played principal character Sapphire in the 2013 romantic comedy film Flower Girl.[8][4] She most recently starred as Victoria in the 2014 film When Love Comes Around, produced by Zynnell Zuh.[13]

She splits most of her time between London, Lagos, and New York City, but also travels a lot within Africa.[6]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Party Girl
2013 Flower Girl Sapphire Comedy / Romance
2014 When Love Comes Around Victoria
2016 Entreat Ada Directed by Michael Asuelime
2018 God Calling Asa Drama
2019 Your Excellency Eki Directed by Funke Akindele
2021 Superstar Teni Drama
2023 Breath of Life Bridget Drama
2023 A Sunday Affair Mrs. Oyeyemi Romance

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2006 Britain’s Next Top Model Herself (as Georgina Edewor-Thorley) cycle 2, 7 episodes
2010–present 53 Extra Host
2010 Big Brother Africa Live Red Carpet Show Co-host
2011 M-Net's 25th Anniversary Commercial Herself
2012 Martini Commercial Eku Edewor 4 episodes
2012–present Pepsi Top Ten Music Countdown Host
2014 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards Co-host
2015 24/7 Bukola
2015 The Island Sade Coker
2018–present Castle & Castle Nneka 15 episodes
2020-2024 The Smart Money Woman Banke 4 episodes
TBA The Cut Host
TBA The Rules to Making Money Herself

Web

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 How She Left My Brother Nicole 6 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Year Event Prize Recipient Result
2014 ELOY Awards[14] TV Presenter of the Year (Pepsi Top Ten Live Show, Africa Magic) — Nominated
2014 Ghana Movie Awards [15] Best Actor, African Collaboration — Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "#TBT: Check out Eku Edewor and her twin as teenagers | Olisa Blogazine". Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Okon, Anna. "My Style Changes Daily - Eku Edewor." Punch. 10 February 2013. 24 September 2014. "My style changes daily — Eku Edewor". Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. ^ Okafor, Onnaedo. "5 Things You Didn't Know About Eku Edewor." Pulse.ng. 29 August 2014. 1 December 2014. [1]
  4. ^ a b "Eku Edewor: Nigerian men are very good at making big romantic statements." Nigeria News. 13 December 2013. 1 December 2014. [2]
  5. ^ "The Nigerians Have Arrived... And London Is Paying Attention". Tatler. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b Roosblad, Shomara. "Eku Edewor." The Black Blog. Vogue.it. 20 October 2013. 4 December 2014.[3] Archived 2 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Eku Edewor." Africa Magic. 24 September 2014
  8. ^ a b Omionawele, Joan. "The kind of man I want is...-Eku Edewor." Nigerian Tribune. 1 March 2014. 24 September 2014. [4] Archived 26 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Full Cast & Crew. IMDb. 24 September 2014. [5]
  10. ^ "53 Extra". Africa Magic. 24 September 2014
  11. ^ "It Hurts When I Hear I'm Only Successful because I'm Light Skinned." Bella Naija. 7 January 2014. 24 September 2014. [6]
  12. ^ "Welcome to 'The Island' where the Rich get Richer & the Rest try to Keep Up!" Bella Naija. 4 February 2013. 24 September 2014. [7]
  13. ^ Aglanu, Ernest Dela. "Ghanaian actress Zynell Zuh to produce first movie, 'When Love Comes Around.'" My Joy Online. 15 October 2013. 24 September 2014. [8]
  14. ^ "Seyi Shay, Toke Makinwa, Mo'Cheddah, DJ Cuppy, Others Nominated". Pulse Nigeria. Chinedu Adiele. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  15. ^ "OC Ukeje, Eku Edewor win 'best actors African Collaborations'". Pulse Nigeria. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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