Popular Nollywood actor Daniel Etim-Effiong has disclosed that he married his wife, Toyosi, following a rejection of his marriage proposal by his former girlfriend.

Speaking during a recent interview with Chude Jideonwo, Etim-Effiong explained that his journey to marriage began when he decided he was ready to settle down, but his then-girlfriend wasn't prepared for that commitment.

"I think two things came together to prepare me to marry my wife. At that time in my life, I was tired of dealing with several relationships. But I had a girlfriend at that time, and I told the girl that I think I am ready to get married, but she wasn't ready. We were in South Africa at the time; she wasn't a Nigerian woman," he revealed.

According to the actor, his ex-girlfriend had plans to pursue graduate studies in the United States and didn't want to be "tied down" by marriage. This rejection coincided with his return to Nigeria for a project where he met Toyosi, who was working as the production manager.

"It coincided with coming back to Nigeria to be on a project that my wife was the production manager of. We had been talking before that time, but we met when we both came to Nigeria. It was her first job in Nigeria when she came back from New York," he explained.

Etim-Effiong recounted how he had a long conversation with Toyosi about his desire to get married, to which she responded positively, saying, "Let's do it."

The couple tied the knot in November 2017, approximately a year after their first meeting. They welcomed their first child, a daughter, in January 2019.