A Nottingham student who suspected her online boyfriend was a ‘catfish’ has discovered he is actually a Nigerian prince.
Esther Akpovi, a law student from Nottingham, found out after appearing on MTV’s Catfish UK.
“It was an interesting opportunity and I guess I was just like ‘why not, let’s see how it goes’,” Esther told NottinghamshireLive, recalling the moment she decided to sign up to the show.
“My family and friends watched. They were surprised to see me on TV as I didn’t tell anyone but they definitely enjoyed it.”
The episode saw the 21-year-old seek help as she thought her virtual lover, Theo, might not be who he said he was as he repeatedly ducked video calls and said he was too busy to meet.
Catfishing involves an individual sets up a false online people to lure people looking for love. This is usually done to get money.
However, it transpired that Theo was in fact real – and a prince. He explained the reason he was hiding the fact was so Esther could get to know him without pre-judgement.
Earlier in the show, hosts Oobah Butler and Julie Adenuga set about helping Esther, who moved to Nottingham from Lagos, Nigeria as a child.
Despite describing Theo as “sweet” and “thoughtful”, and saying she felt as if “the universe has connected us”, Esther also said: “He’s always in a meeting, whenever I try to video call he doesn’t pick up.”
As the investigations went on a number of red flags began to emerge, including the fact that Theo was in south London rather than Nigeria, prompting the trio to pay him a visit. This is where they find out he actually is Theo.
“I was telling my name is Theo – which is actually my middle name and if you know me quite well then I’ll say my first name is Michael,” he explained.
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Defending no video calls, he added: “To be honest, I just didn’t have the time. I’m quite busy, I’m running three different business ventures.”
He also said he had returned to Nigeria briefly because of the death of his dad, and casually mentioned the fact he was a prince.