Who is Sonya Nicole Hamlin-Idris Elba’s ex-wife? What happened to her?

Idris Elba is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood. Touted as the next ‘James Bond’, Elba has enjoyed a career that many are envious of. While Elba rose to fame from poverty to achieve everything he has now, his personal life hasn’t been as ideal. Elba’s personal life has been the sacrifice he paid for being the ultimate sex symbol in Hollywood. But not all the problems in his life have been of Elba’s choosing and doing, some, like his second marriage to Sonya Nicole Hamlin was undone by the society who forced Elba to remain single as this ultimate sex symbol. As a result, Hamlin rarely gets a nod in Elba’s story. So, for this article, we will take a closer look at the wiki-bio of Sonya Nicole Hamline. 

Bits and pieces:

Sonya Nicole Hamlin was born in 1974 in the United States. Hamlin, who is a professional lawyer, has not revealed much about herself, and given how her marriage to Elba never made it past the year mark, fame never really found Hamlin. On the academic side of things, Hamlin graduated with a professional degree in Law and continued her education first in London and later moved to Washington. She was very much at the height of her career as a real estate lawyer in Boston when she first met Edris Elba. 

Meeting Elba:

Elba and Hamlin met for the first time in 2006. The duo was introduced by a mutual friend and while Elba had made a name for himself after his appearance in The Wire, he was nowhere near the fame he has today. Hamlin didn’t recognize Elba for his works but for his personality and the pair got along really well. 

“I didn’t really know who he was.  My friend just said he was a really nice guy. He wasn’t a superstar back then. Living in Maryland I was vaguely familiar with The Wire, but I didn’t know who he was. We met at a crowded gathering with a few other people. But we hit it off. We meshed very well. He’s not shy and neither am I, and we fell very much in love with each other.”

After a whirlwind of a romance, the pair moved to Maryland together and started living together. The pair enjoyed their time together and even though Elba was struggling with his career, he wanted to make sure that he was not the one being kept. 

A secret marriage:

On the 8th of April, 2006, Elba and Hamlin jetted off to Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jnr vs Zab Judah. But things took a real romantic turn as Elba convinced Hamlin to elope with him. Even though the pair had no intention of tying the knot in Vegas, reality worked differently. 

“We had been together several months already, and knew it was right. We were both madly in love by then, and we were like, “Let’s just do it!” We were both excited. It was a mutual decision. As far as we were concerned, we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Fighting to save her marriage:

Even though Elba and Hamlin were so much in love, not everyone viewed them the same way. At the time, Elba was peeled away from his marriage by Hollywood, and given Hamlin’s work in law, the pressure on the pair’s marriage was intense. And the pair decided to call things off six weeks after they first tied the knot.

“Some people used to say, “Why her?” That’s what they were telling him. It used to upset him. He was like, “Why don’t people just let me be happy?” I couldn’t understand how it would damage his career because I saw actors like Denzel be successfully married. But I don’t think those actors’ wives are running law firms.”

The pair filed for divorce in 2006 and even though Hamlin suffered greatly, not just from her divorce with Elba but also from the 2009 recession, she has since recovered and is leading a happy life. 

A quick bio of Idris Elba:

Idris Elba is an English actor, producer, musician, and DJ, known for his versatile and acclaimed performances in film, television, and on stage. He was born on September 6, 1972, in Hackney, London, UK, to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother.

Elba started his career in the entertainment industry in the 1990s as a DJ and later as an actor. He made his television debut in the UK series “Bramwell” in 1995 and later appeared in several other shows, including “The Bill” and “Dangerfield.” His breakthrough role came in the acclaimed American crime drama series “The Wire” (2002-2008), where he played the complex and ruthless character Stringer Bell.

In addition to his television work, Elba has appeared in numerous films, including “Thor” (2011), “Pacific Rim” (2013), “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (2013), “Beasts of No Nation” (2015), and “Molly’s Game” (2017). He has received critical acclaim for his roles in these movies, and in 2016, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the Netflix film “Beasts of No Nation.”

Elba is also an accomplished musician and DJ and has released several EPs and singles, as well as performed at various music festivals around the world. In addition to his acting and music careers, he has also produced and directed films and television shows.

Elba has received numerous awards and nominations for his work, including a Golden Globe Award for his role in the BBC series “Luther,” and several Emmy nominations for his performances in various television shows.

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