She was one of the raves of the
90s in movies but suddenly, she fizzled out. Now married and based in the
United Kingdom, Victoria Inyama explains life as a mother, wife and why she
left acting
You
have been married for 11years, what has changed about you?
Just
like every other thing in life, marriage is a learning process and mine is not
an exception. I am learning as each day unfolds. Nothing has changed really.
How
have you been able to sustain your marriage for this long in an industry where
most actresses cannot keep their homes?
Can
I pass that question? I don’t want to answer so I don’t want to go there.
You
left Nollywood at the peak of your career, did you husband ask you to pull out
of the industry or was it a personal choice?
I
made my decision to leave the industry based on circumstances if I have to put
it that way.
Have
you had challenges as an actress?
I
am no longer in this environment because I don’t live in Nigeria anymore; I
live abroad and I am doing something totally different. For many years, it was
all about family ties; having children, raising them and learning on the job.
Being that I am in another environment and I don’t have maids, I have taken a
hands-on role as a mother. However, I am back to acting now. I have just
completed work on a production with Tony Monjaro, called Nollywood Knocking.
How
did you meet your husband?
We
met in London in 2003, I was in town for a show and that was how our paths
crossed.
What
has changed in the industry since you left Nigeria?
A
lot has changed because there is more money in the industry now compared to
when we were there, so I want to believe that artistes are better paid. There
may be hiccups here and there but I think they are better paid.
Is
it true that you advised women whose husbands beat them to tie up their men
when they are asleep and retaliate?
I
never said that. It was the handiwork of some overzealous blogger that I don’t
even know. I put up something totally different on my Instagram page and it was
just about a discussion that I had with someone. The person apparently had a
rough time in her relationship and it wasn’t favourable at all, so she was now
saying maybe if she had revenged during all the beatings, maybe things would
have been okay. She added that her pastor said that if she sought a divorce,
she is not allowed to marry any other person. Unfortunately, that blogger
quoted me out of context. The post is still there on my Instagram page so
anybody can go and verify. I never said that.
A
number of people who read the post said it was a subtle way of telling your
story…
Really?
I am just hearing this for the first time, so I don’t even know what to say. I
would want to pass on that as well because I don’t know what to say.
Source: PUNCH