Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has revealed that he would not have married his wife, Simi, if she had the SS blood genotype.
The singer made the disclosure during an interview on the One54 Podcast, where he spoke about his personal experience with sickle cell disease and the importance of genotype compatibility in relationships.
Adekunle Gold said he and Simi underwent genotype testing when they first met to determine whether they were compatible, adding that Simi is AA.
“There is so much awareness to be done. People need to understand that if you have sickle cell, forget about love; you can’t be with someone with sickle cell too,” he said.
“There’s no way I would have married my wife Simi if she was sickle cell. The first thing we did when we met was a genotype test to know if we matched. If we didn’t, I wouldn’t have married her. She is AA.”
The singer stressed the need for people to know their genotype before entering relationships or planning to have children, particularly because of the risk of passing sickle cell disease to offspring when both partners carry sickle cell traits.
Adekunle Gold has openly spoken about his own experience with sickle cell disease and has continued to advocate for greater awareness of the condition.
He also disclosed during the podcast that he still experiences sickle cell crises occasionally but is grateful to have access to quality healthcare.
Through his foundation, the singer said he provides free healthcare and medication to people living with sickle cell disease and currently has about 1,000 people covered under a free health insurance programme.
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