Comedienne Princess Damilola has opened up
once again about her failed marriage, telling
Punch that her marriage lasted less than a
month and she fell ill and had to be
hospitalized after her husband left her.
Excerpts from the interview below...
You didn’t say what was wrong with
you that you had to be hospitalized?
But you already know. We thank the
Lord. The most important thing is that I
am alive and better. I appreciate life
more. But this one you are asking, e no
reach make I sick? After my husband left
after our wedding, was it not enough
reason for me to be sick? Ah! The Lord
is our strength.
Why are you making fun of this?
Ah! I am telling you the truth o. The
truth is that we all have challenges in
our lives. I have always believed that the
challenge is not the issue but how you
get up and get over it. I was very down
last year. It was my low moment. But
with the help of God and the support of
my family and friends, I am here now. I
am happy.
Are you no longer depressed?
I was never depressed. I reacted like
every normal human being would react
if she embarks on a lifetime journey and
it doesn’t go as she planned it. But God
has a reason for everything.
Are there times you wish you weren’t
a celebrity especially when you are
linked with controversies?
The only time I felt bad about my fame
was when my marriage ended. I felt if I
weren’t this popular; people wouldn’t
have talked about it. So many marriages
crash on a daily basis but you will not
hear about them. Some people have
been married five times but you will not
hear their gist because they are not in
the eye of the public. People didn’t
know that the marriage had broken up
until December when I felt I was strong
enough to handle the publicity that it
generated.
Were you shocked with the kind of
publicity it generated?
I was shocked! People called me from all
parts of the world including China. Some
people cried while some people felt
happy. Some guys said they were happy
my marriage ended. Some said they were
not happy that I even married the guy.
Some said I looked older than him. Some
said my marriage shouldn’t have ended
just like that. People talked and talked.
But the only time you know your
marriage is successful is when you live
with your partner and God calls one of
you home. Marriage of 30 years can still
break up. It is a bad thing for a
marriage to breakup. So you can imagine
the unhappiness the parties involved
would be going through. Nobody is
happy when his/her marriage ends.
Some people see me outside and ask,
‘your marriage has ended, how do you
feel?’ I will answer them that I am
jumping up or how else do they expect
me to feel? Nonsense! A comedian once
said that ‘complete’ and ‘finish’ appear
to have the same meaning but they are
not the same. If you marry the right
person, you are complete but if you
marry the wrong person, you are
finished.
Were you in love with him in the first
place?
I got married to somebody who I was in
love with. At that time, he also said he
loved me. Unfortunately, the marriage
ended too soon.
Why?
It was due to irreconcilable differences.
It is not a thing of joy. I don’t think we
should celebrate sadness and bad news.
We should be more sensitive. No
marriage should end but peradventure it
does, don’t make a mockery of that
person. You are not even mocking the
person, you are mocking God.
Are you giving it another shot?
No! Me ke? Let us struggle first and
make some money. In any case, I think I
should marry a Chinese or an Indian. If
many people agree that I should marry a
Chinese, then I will go ahead. But a
Japanese might be better. Japanese
products are strong and reliable.
Is your ex-husband still your friend?
I don’t think you should call him my ‘ex-
husband’ because we were together for
less than one month. An ex- husband is
somebody you marry and after three
years or more, you separate. Anyway, I
don’t know where he is. We have moved
on.
Are you happy?
I am happier now and I am better. I was
happy before, the only thing that got me
sad was that the marriage ended. I did
one wedding and it didn’t go well and I
am alive. I should thank God. A lot of
people lose their spouses just after a
week of marriage. As long as you are
alive, have hope. If God says I should
marry again, I will follow His will. I have
made my own attempt, let God make His
own. I am sure he (ex-husband) is okay
anywhere he is anyway.
Wasn’t the break-up your fault?
No. it wasn’t my fault. I can’t really say
it was his fault too. It was just
irreconcilable differences. We met and
we were in love and we quickly got
married. Maybe we got married too
quickly but I have seen people who got
married a month after they met and the
marriage lasted. Our own didn’t work
out. There is no need to apportion
blame.
Do you still believe in love?
I have always believed in fairy tales and
a knight in shining armour but my
marriage didn’t go that way
unfortunately.
There is usually a stigma associated
with women who are divorced,
doesn’t that bother you?
Stigma ke ? That was before. Men can
afford to have 20 children from
different women. If your wife is abusing
you and you cannot take it, my brother,
please take a walk. If your husband is
abusing you, take a walk. If it is like my
own case that both of you cannot agree,
you also need to take a walk before
somebody wounds the other person.
Death is final. So it is better to take off
before it degenerates into death. I know
somebody that separated from his wife
and years later, he came back and
begged her and they are back together.
He, who fights and runs away lives to
fight another day. Don’t die there.
So what if your husband comes back?
No o. But like I said; he, who fights and
runs away, lives to fight another day.
