Crisis in marriage has nothing to do with celebrity status-Uche Elendu

Delectable Nollywood actress, Uche Elendu is one Nigeria’s most sought after actress in the industry whose passion for acting is second to none and has fare well in her chosen field. Despite the fact that the industry has been taken over by new actresses, Uche is still very much relevant and currently working on her new movie project. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, Uche disclosed what she has been up to,  she equally states clearly that crisis in marriages has nothing to do with celebrity status amongst others.

You recently took your birthday to the slump arears?  What inspired that?

Yes, the desire to put smiles on people that desperately need help and are ignored because some organizations are not fronting them as less privileged or they are not in one categorized home or the other , The bible says love your neighbour as yourself and God is indebted to anyone who lends a helping hand to the poor , I might not have much but the pain in my heart seeing homeless and hungry children with their helpless parents pushed me to reach out cos they were badly affected by the flood and really needed food to survive

All sponsored by u?

Yes with my last baby’s foundation name. On her birthday eve I had a dream and in that dream I was looking everywhere for her and then on the TV in that dream I saw her with helpless children playing and skipping and giving them food and cake and then in the dream I ran to the kitchen to find out that all the food we made for her birthday party was gone. I started looking for her and when I saw her she said mummy I am having the best party of my life.

And I woke up, but I couldn’t do anything because I was not financially capable then so i decided to register a foundation for her and to the best of my financial ability reach out to the needy in every way I can in her name so she can grow up with it since that is Gods message for her.

You’re scarce in movies these days…what’s happening?

I’m working on a movie now in Niger state. I do movies but maybe not as regular as I used to

How do you manage motherhood and acting?

Well those are 2 major responsibilities for me and are very important individually, one means life to me and is the very essence of my existence, while the other puts food on my table so I carefully attend to both critically to avoid lacking in any area of my responsibility and career.

Uche has suddenly shed off her baby weight, looking as lovely as ever…what are your beauty secrets/ routine?

Well I eat right and stay  completely off junk food though I eat very well and most importantly I don’t do late night foods, I don’t eat after 6pm and I take my stay fit herbal tea twice daily, that keeps me feeling healthy and clean on the inside, I also snack on fruits and garden eggs.

Celebrity marriages are crashing here and there, do you have fear for yours?

My dear, crisis in marriage really has nothing to do with the celebrity status. Marriage is an agreement between two matured individuals and when these same matured individuals feel that they do not have any need to be together for safety of their lives or for peace of mind then it is their choice. No one knows the battle we fight in our marriages, the pain and hurt we feel, the way we have to bottle it all up because we are in the lime light and we do not want to be castigated, but people forget that celebrities are human too and have feelings, desire and deserve to be happy too so when I hear things like celebrity marriage crash I wonder why so much attention is paid to it, really everyone has his or her cross to bear.

I once interviewed a married actress who said almost all married Nollywood actresses are unfaithful, how true is that?

That’s the biggest lie from the pit of hell. Everyone should speak for herself. That we are in the lime light and have admirers from the opposite sex doesn’t mean we are sleeping with them. Just like there are married women out there that are enjoying extramarital affairs, so it is obtainable in Nollywood and it is totally a personal decision, there are still many married women that are very faithful in their marriages and have been unjustly accused cos of this generalized insinuation

 Would you leave your marriage if your husband cheats?

Lol… well I am sure if your own husband cheats you will know what to do. It’s a personal decision and I don’t need to sing it

How do you handle fame and male fans?

I’m naturally a very down to earth person and fame hasn’t changed me a bit though it has restricted me from a lot of things I would love to do. As for male fans I appreciate them for loving what I do but it remains that way.

What has celebrity status deprived you of?

Hoping on a bike when I am stuck in one dumb traffic is one of those things I love to do on this Lagos roads and walk into oyingbo market to do my shopping locally to get fresh food stuffs instead of sending people and they don’t get the real stuff and u know being as free as air without making headlines or having people stare at u like they you are watching a movie.

What has been your best moment as an actress?

Hmmm my traditional wedding when the whole village came out to see their goddess even the king of my village graced the occasion in full regalia, and the respect and recognition given to me by my state to grade the roads just for my guests to have good access to my home and the spark of pride in my father’s eyes recording the most successful and crowded event till date in my place. It was indeed a great honour

Any time you feel like quitting?

Quitting what? Never that’s my profession, my career, my life.

 Would you mind if any of your daughters join the field?

My first daughter is already an actress and has played major roles in 3 movies recently

What kind of role would you reject?

Nudity in any form.

Has marriage limited your flexibility in choosing movie roles?

No way has my job entailed bringing a character to life and I go all out to give it my best interpretation.

If you are chanced to change anything about yourself…. What would it be?

I love me, the Me I was, I Am and I Am to become.

 What’s your take on domestic violence?

The term domestic violence often brings to mind the concept of the “battered wife” or perhaps a married couple’s verbal argument escalating into physical assault. Domestic violence can also be child abuse. Even if the children are not physically injured, watching or hearing a parent being abused can have severe psychological implications on the child and it is totally wrong.

Domestic violence is about power and control. Though the term violence has physical connotations, domestic violence or abuse can occur in non-physical ways. When a man refuses to provide for the family it is domestic abuse, when a woman refuses to carry out her domestic and conjugal obligations in the home, it is also domestic abuse because these things give rise to verbal abuse and sexual abuse and physical violence.

Domestic violence is a total violation of the plan that God had when he joined man and woman together and totally against Gods plan for families. First Corinthians 7:4 says, “The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.” The two belong to one another and are called to love one another as Christ loved us. Marriage is an image of Christ and the Church. Domestic violence is a far cry from the character of Jesus Christ so it is an abomination to indulge and be a perpetrator of the act.

To curb domestic violence women have a great role to play by understanding the kind of men they get married to or get entangled with and understand their temperament thereby limiting the use of verbal abuse that will give rise to physical battering and also women should know when a man is irresponsible and easily intoxicated and gets physical at every provocation and then walk out of such a demonic relationship or marriage with both eyes intact.

Men also have a great role to play by understanding the fact that women’s strength lies in their tongue and they don’t mean almost everything they say so that shouldn’t deserve beating, also they should practice their boxing skills with men like them, not with the weaker sex that God has given to them to nurture and take care of. Also, they should device other means of exhibiting anger.

Both parties in a marriage have roles to play in stopping domestic violence.