Nollywood actress, Judy Austin, has denied allegations made by her former husband Emmanuel Obasi concerning the timeline of her relationship with her current partner Yul Edochie.
Austin also issued a warning of legal action against Obasi, whom she described as a “deadbeat father”.
The disagreement followed Obasi’s recent interview on the Honest Bunch podcast, where he alleged that Austin had long shown interest in Edochie.
Obasi claimed that while they were married, Austin asked if he knew Edochie and also said the actor had promised to make her a star and support her family financially.
Austin responded in a video shared on Instagram, describing Obasi’s claims as “contradictory and false’.
She maintained that her marriage to Obasi ended in 2012, which she said was earlier than his own version of events in a previous video.
According to her, she did not meet Yul until 2016, three years after her divorce, on a movie set.
“I met Chief Yul Edochie on a movie set in 2016 for the very first time. Up until that time, I had no interest even in acting. The person who encouraged me in 2013 to even consider acting was Sebastian Madu,” she said.
The actress accused Obasi of trying to damage her reputation and drag Edochie into a personal dispute.
She added that she would take legal steps, insisting he must prove his claims “beyond a reasonable doubt” in court.
On the issue of their children, Austin denied restricting Obasi’s access, saying the children lived with her parents for five years before she moved them to Enugu in 2018.
“Any smart person who listened to this podcast will see and hear how he contradicts himself in everything he says. You have been brought over to come and destroy my name, but you can’t. You need to put his name. So you won’t be able to destroy it,” she said.
“Because the court of law is where you have to defend everything you’ve ever said beyond a reasonable doubt. If you must allege, you must defend it. All the lies you’ve paraded against my family and me, you will defend in court. I am here to make one thing straight. I met Yul Edochie three years after my marriage to this man had ended.
“This same man made a video and said that my marriage to him ended in March 2013. I left him in 2012.
“For the record, I have never restricted his access to see his kids. My children spent five years with my parents before I moved them to Enugu in 2018.
Austin also defended Edochie, praising him for supporting her children from her previous marriage.
She said he has played a fatherly role, including paying school fees and providing shelter, and urged the public to acknowledge his contributions.
“He has helped me to be a father figure in their lives. Put the roof over their heads. Pay their school fees, feed them. Anything you people should praise him for being a kind and awesome man,” she said.
“Suppose we continue to allow deadbeats to come out and lie and destroy someone who should be praised. How can a deadbeat come out and lie, and people will not think? Go to his page and see how he contradicts himself.”
In 2024, Obasi claimed Judy denied him access to their kids for 10 years.