Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu (born 10 October 1989) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

actress, model and television presenter. She began modelling at an early age after being scouted at 16.Ade-Unuigbe, Adesola. "Fab Interview: 'I Have a Little Crush on D'Banj' Zanaib Balogun, Ebony Life TV Presenter Talks Life, Love & Work". ''Fab Magazine Online''. February 7, 2014. December 5, 2014

/ref> She has been featured in several international campaigns for different brands. She co-founded ''The J-ist TV'', an online entertainment

web-series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single ins ...

that highlights

African culture African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

and a range of topical issues; the series features interviews involving some of Africa's top personalities. Balogun works as a television presenter for EbonyLife TV, an entertainment television station, for which she currently co-hosts and produces ''The Spot'', the channel's leading talk show, with Lamide Akintobi."Zainab Balogun's Interview with Zen". ''Zen Magazine Africa''. 2013. December 5, 2014

/ref> Balogun also appears as a presenter and associate producer on ''Jumia TV'', a teleshopping show.

Early life and career

Balogun was born in London to Nigerian parents,Roosblad, Shomara. "Interview with Zainab Balogun". ''The Black Blog''. Vogue.it. September 29, 2014. December 5, 2014

/ref> where she was raised with a large extended family, predominantly in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

, a district of

South West London South West London may refer to several things related to London, England: *SW postcode area *South West (London sub region) (2008–2011), a regional planning designation *Western part of South London *South West (London Assembly constituency) (fro ...

. She is an

Egba Egba may refer to: *Egba people, a clan of the Yoruba people living in western Nigeria * EGBA, the European Gaming and Betting Association *Egba United Government, a late 19th century political entity of the Egba people that was located in what is ...

, and claims descent from a family from

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding are ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

. Due to the nature of her mother's work, she moved around a lot and spent most of her formative years growing up with relatives. Her secondary school education was obtained at Sacred Heart RC Secondary School. Her interest in the arts began with her regularly taking part in talent shows and school plays. She studied music and eventually went on to join the school choir and later formed an R&B girl group with two friends called Regné (pronounced "reign"). She attended Christ the King Sixth Form College where she completed her A Levels in Law, Psychology, and English Language & Literature. She then attended the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

where she received a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB).Igew, Miles. "StyleVitae Meets - Zainab Balogun". ''StyleVitae''. April 28, 2014. December 5, 2014

/ref>"Zippy Zainab". ''Our Blogazine''. October 24, 2013. December 5, 2014
/ref> Balogun worked as a model after being scouted by Premier Models Management at the age of 16. After obtaining her law degree, she began to appear in shows such as

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

's ''

Material Girl "Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on November 30, 1984, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly ...

'',

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movie ''

Cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

'' (2012), and ''The Charlatans'' by Ashley Waters. She soon found herself on set with legendary director

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...

in 2011 for the film ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...

'', which she describes as an "unforgettable experience". Balogun is now a television presenter, who produces and hosts shows for EbonyLife TV, an entertainment television network. She has also produced shows such as ''EL Now'', a daily entertainment news show for the latest in fashion, music and arts. She is currently joined by

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu Chukwuebuka Obi-Uchendu (born 14 July 1982) is a Nigerian lawyer and media personality from Okija in Anambra State, Nigeria. He is known for hosting the reality show ''Big Brother Naija'', the long running ''Rubbin' Minds'' talk show on Channe ...

and Lamide Akintobi on ''The Spot'', a daily hang-out talk show.Ngomba, Joan. "EbonyLife TV's Zainab Balogun Spills Secrets Behind 'The Spot'". Pulse.ng. March 19, 2014. December 5, 2014

/ref>

Personal life

In May 2018 Balogun marrie
Dikko Nwachukwu
founder of Jetwest Airways. The pair were traditionally married on 13 May in Lagos, Nigeria. Balogun splits her time between London, England, and

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria.

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''The Spot'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balogun, Zainab Nigerian female models 21st-century Nigerian actresses 1989 births Nigerian television personalities Living people Nigerian film actresses Nigerian television actresses English people of Nigerian descent English people of Yoruba descent Yoruba female models Yoruba women television personalities Alumni of the University of Kent Yoruba actresses Actresses from London 21st-century English women 21st-century English people British people of Nigerian descent People from Ogun State Actresses from Abeokuta British emigrants to Nigeria Nigerian film award winners Nigerian television presenters