The Valentine's date
Idris Elba has decided to raffle himself for Valentine's day and give a lucky fan the opportunity to go on a date with him - all in the name of charity.
The 44-year-old "The Wire" star is attempting to raise money for charity W.E. Can Lead in the hopes of giving schoolgirls in Sierra Leone the chance to "become a new generation of dynamic leaders".
The viral video
The Hackney-born actor shared the video on his Twitter account on Wednesday 11 January in a video which quickly gained over 2000 retweets.
Will YOU be my Valentine? I promise, you can order whatever your heart desires. All for a good cause. To #WIN... https://t.co/6WN0OECPUt pic.twitter.com/YFlPI3djKt
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) 11 January 2017
In the sexual innuendo-filled video, the "Luther" actor sets the scene for the potential date on a grey sofa in front of a fireplace with two glasses of champagne and roses.
The half Sierra Leonean, half Ghanaian actor entices viewers with suggestions of traditional African dishes for his potential suitor, offering them the chance to "pound" his yams. He then hints that the lucky dater would be able to have whatever they want for dessert.
The raffle prizes
Donations for raffle tickets being at $10, with the lowest price giving donors 100 entrants into the draw. Other donation options give donors a signed headshot, an Idris Elba t-shirt, or signed copies of Luther. The top donation price of $25,000 gives the donor tickets to the premiere of his upcoming film, Dark Tower and a photograph with the star.
Just a day after releasing the video, some of the dating options have already sold out.
The winner and a friend will get the chance to have a romantic dinner with Idris, will be flown out to his location and given accommodation in a four-star hotel.
Idris Elba split with his partner of three years and mother of his child Naiyana Garth in 2016 and is currently single.
The chance to enter the raffle ends in February and the date with Idris will not actually fall on Valentine's day.
The W.E Can Lead charity aims to give young school girls the opportunity to have proper education, leadership development and mentoring support. The charity hopes that one day, the girls it helps will become powerful leaders not only of their communities, but of their countries.
