Ufuoma Ejenobor

Biography

Ufuoma Stacey McDermott (née Ejenobor oo-FOH-mə EJ-ə-nə-bor; born 23 April 1981) is a Nigerian actress, director, former model and beauty pageant titleholder.

== Early life == Ejenobor was born in Benin City to Nigerian parents of Urhobo descent who hails from Delta State in Nigeria. She moved a lot – from Benin City to Jos, where she spent the better part of her toddler years, and later to Lagos, where she has lived for the greater part of her life and still resides till date. At the age of seven, her father coined a pet name for her: ISIO (which means "star" in Urhobo). She was so named after the star actress of the TELEFEST programme put together by NTA Benin, The Pot of Life.

== Personal life == Ejenobor got married on 23 April 2010 to Steven McDermott. She officially changed her name to Ufuoma McDermott on 23 May 2014 at a Lagos high court. In an October 2024 interview with Chude Jideonwo, McDermott revealed a 12-year battle with Kidney disease before being diagnosed with stage 3 in 2023.

== Education == She went through Alama Private School Jos, Plateau state, Tunwase Nursery and primary school Ikeja, Lagos and finally Molly International Nursery and primary Ajao Estate for her nursery and primary education. She then attended Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State for her secondary education. McDermott has a degree in French Language from the University of Lagos where she partook in a Federal Government scholarship holiday programme, as well as a master's degree in Public and International Affairs, also from the University of Lagos. She also has certificates and diplomas from the Alliance Française and NIIT. In 2011, she attended New York Film Academy in Los Angeles for an acting course and later on a film making course from Dov Simen's Hollywood Film Institute. In 2013, she obtained a certificate in Human resource management from the London Business School. In Summer 2015, she was part of the Relativity Education program from Nigeria, owned by Relativity Media in Beverly Hills.

== Entertainment == She started a career in entertainment with modelling in 2000 as a photographic model and later moved on to the runway and beauty pageants.

=== Pageants === By 2002, she had participated in two mini-pageants, won the Miss Ebony beauty pageant and partaken in her first national pageant: Miss Commonwealth (Vanessa Ekeke), where she won the Miss Congeniality prize. Later the same year, she emerged 1st runner up in the queen Afrik beauty pageant (Tamilore Kuboye). 2003 saw her in the Queen of all Nations beauty pageant (Dubra Fufeyin) where she was again the 1st runner up. In 2004 she contested in the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant where she emerged ...yet, 1st runner up. Not long after she was crowned Miss Earth Nigeria and consequently went to represent the country at the Miss Earth 2004

=== Film === In February 2004, Ejenobor decided on a movie career. Starting off with Zeb Ejiro's The President Must Not Die, she has continued to have roles in movies. In May 2005, she played her first lead role in Life and Death, her third movie after The President Must Not Die and Guy on the Line. By December 2005, she played Chibuzor on the Edge of Paradise TV series produced by Royal Roots network.

In 2008 she took on the role of "Lillian Wright" in the TV series My Mum and I a role that garnered her a nomination for a best actress award at the 2010 Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo and one at The Terracotta Nigerian TV and Film Awards. She was nominated as the Actor of the year 2011 at the Future Awards