Uchenna Okoye was born in Nnobi, Anambra State, in Nigeria, at the end of the Nigerian civil war. She was the first daughter of Obi Uzoma Okoye, an entrepreneur, and Martina (née Enekwe), a pharmacist. Her parents instilled a strong work ethic in all their children. During an interview in 2014 she told a journalist, “My father taught me everything is possible. His philosophy in life was ‘If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.’” She had six siblings, but her sister Nkiru died from a glioblastoma in 2014. Okoye’s early schooling was in Nigeria, but after the family moved to England she attended the Eastcourt Independent School and the Ursuline Academy, both in Ilford, and sixth form at Abbey College, London. She inherited her father’s business enterprise, but her choice of career was influenced by her becoming dentophobic as a 6 year old, after a dentist in Nigeria extracted her tooth with no anaesthetic. She determined this should not happen to anyone else and in her …
Uchenna Okoye, a renowned cosmetic dentist, author, and TV personality, who treated complex, restorative cases at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, and was an active spokesperson for the British Dental Association, has died suddenly at the age of 53.
Uchenna Okoye was born in Nnobi, Anambra State, in Nigeria, at the end of the Nigerian civil war. She was the first daughter of Obi Uzoma Okoye, an entrepreneur, and Martina (née Enekwe), a pharmacist. Her parents instilled a strong work ethic in all their children. During an interview in 2014 she told a journalist, “My father taught me everything is possible. His philosophy in life was ‘If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.’” She had six siblings, but her sister Nkiru died from a glioblastoma in 2014. Okoye’s early schooling was in Nigeria, but after the family moved to England she attended the Eastcourt Independent School and the Ursuline Academy, both in Ilford, and sixth form at Abbey College, London. She inherited her father’s business enterprise, but her choice of career was influenced by her becoming dentophobic as a 6 year old, after a dentist in Nigeria extracted her tooth with no anaesthetic. She determined this should not happen to anyone else and in her …
