Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold has disclosed that his SS status had a significant role in his decision to get married.
In a recent One54 Podcast episode, Adekunle stated that if his wife hadn’t been AA, he wouldn’t have married her.
He underlined that having a child is pointless and that they will be ill.
“I wouldn’t have married my wife if she were SS or AS. Forget love. I don’t think it makes sense to bring a child into this world and they would be sickly.
When me and my wife first met, the first thing I did was to know her genotype. She is AA. That was why I proceeded with the relationship,” he said.
Adekunle Gold has been advocating for sickle cell awareness since revealing that he is SS.
He got married to fellow singer Simi in January 2019. The couple have two children.
ALSO READ: Adekunle Gold Speaks About Struggle With Sickle Cell
In October 2025, Adekunle Gold disclosed that he continues to struggle with sickle cell disease. In a social media video of his most recent interview, he made this clear.
The 38-year-old musician opened up about his experiences, saying, “I still have crises.”
Adekunle Gold revealed that he had been on lifetime medication since he was five years old, while bemoaning the agony brought on by the illness.
In his public education on the value of genetic testing, he stated:
“My vision is to make more noise about it because a lot of people don’t know about it, and the important organisations are not making so much moves regarding it”.“Where sickle cell is more popular or where people know it most is my country Nigeria. And it happens when an SS matches an SS. And that’s why knowing your genotype is very important because the point is you should not bring many more kids that have sickle cell.
Unfortunately for me, my parents are sickle cell and they brought me to the world. The first time I ever heard of sickle cell was I would fall sick every time with my joints paining me. So when we talk about crisis, it is pains on your joints, my legs and sometimes stomach. It’s really crazy.
The first time I noticed that I had it was the night I fell sick and my dad wasn’t home and my mum put me on her back and we walked miles to the hospital. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe like 5 or 7. That was when the doctor told me about it, and they told me that I will be taking folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. And that’s my life for a very long time even till now.
I still have crises once in a while but not as bad as I had it when I was a child, you know maybe because I have found a way to take care of myself more properly. And I’m grateful to God for the resources to be able to do that.”
