Idris Elba’s secret second wife has been revealed yesterday by The Sun UK as a US lawyer who ended the marriage after just four months.
Sonya Hamlin, now 44, claimed she was drunk when she and the Luther star wed at a Vegas chapel. The pair had a whirlwind romance and a friend said:
“It’s a heartbreak story. She cared about him and when they broke up it tore her up.” Idris, 43, had just finished his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire in 2005 when they were introduced by his manager, a college pal of Sonya.
After living together in Maryland, they chose to marry at the Little White Wedding Chapel on April 9,2006. A source at the chapel said:
“I remember Idris. They were both very nice, not intoxicated or nothing crazy like that. They arrived at 5-6pm.
“I recognised him because my brother’s a fan of The Wire.
“They were having a lot of fun. The person checking them in was joking about them marrying in Vegas and Idris was giving it back.” Estate agent Daniel Krastev acted as a witness and took
their photos after only meeting the couple that day. A pal of Daniel’s said: “Idris asked him to help so he went with them.” Previous reports have said the marriage lasted a day. But court papers obtained by The Sun on Sunday show it was annulled on August 11, with rows over having children partly to blame.
Sonya, a real estate lawyer, paid £83 to file the divorce in Maryland on June 6, 2006. But state rules mean couples first have to be separated for a year.
So she hired a lawyer in Nevada, and claimed she had been too drunk on her wedding day. A source said: “That’s what you do to get out of it.”
Sonya filed for bankruptcy in 2009 but still has a £400,000 house in Maryland. She declined to comment last night. Her mum Betty Hamlin said: “It was a very painful relationship.
