“I Checked Out of Life for a Year” — Maje Ayida Opens Up About Life After Divorce
Fitness coach and entrepreneur Maje Ayida has spoken candidly about his personal struggles following the end of his marriage to Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa.
In a heartfelt testimony shared during a church gathering in the UK, Maje shared how the highly public breakup in 2016 pushed him into a period of deep emotional distress.
Reflecting on that time, he described feeling isolated and overwhelmed by shame.
“I went through a divorce. It was very public. And honestly, I didn’t know how to deal with it,” he said.
According to Maje, the backlash and scrutiny that followed the split left him feeling paralyzed. He stopped working, withdrew from his usual routines, and cut off contact with people. For an entire year, he admitted, he was barely functioning.
“I lost all motivation. I couldn’t face anyone. I stayed indoors, missed out on work, lost business deals. And that hit hard because, for a man, your work is your identity.”
He went on to describe the mental toll it took — battling insomnia, paranoia, and a constant sense of hopelessness. Even brief outings left him spiraling with the fear that others were silently judging him.
“I wasn’t sleeping. I had anxiety, I felt watched, even when I was alone. I built imaginary conversations in my head. It was a dark place.”
But in that darkness, Maje eventually found a turning point.
He began researching ways to recover and stumbled upon a concept that changed everything: accountability.
“It wasn’t easy. Owning up to my part in everything made me feel worse at first, but it gave me direction. I started taking small, practical steps to heal.”
Now, with time and introspection behind him, Maje is using his story to remind others that it’s okay to fall — as long as you make the choice to rise again.
