Sonya Nicole Hamlin

ABOUT SONYA NICOLE HAMLIN

Real estate lawyer and celebrity relative, famously known for having been previously married to English actor Idris Elba . Their marriage ended only four months after they tied the knot in April 2006. She is also the principal owner of a thriving law practice called The Hamlin Legal Group, which she founded in 2000.

She earned her bachelor's degree in political science and government from the University of Virginia . She subsequently graduated from American University Washington College of Law with her JD law degree.

She gave her first-ever interview to The Daily Mail in April 2016. In it, she explained that she and Elba had had no intention to marry when they traveled to Las Vegas, NV, to attend a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah . They made the decision to elope on a whim while lounging beside the pool and persuaded a stranger to serve as witness to their ceremony at the Little White Wedding Chapel, after which they honeymooned in Jamaica.

She is the daughter of Betty Hamlin, who was born and raised in the Philippines. Her father is of African American and Native American descent.

She was briefly married to Idris Elba, who starred with Ruth Wilson and Warren Brown on the BBC One drama show Luther .