Actress Temitope Solaja has opened up about the emotional challenges she faced after relocating to the United States.
In an interview on Biola Adebayo’s talk show, the Yoruba movie star said she was attacked emotionally by people who misjudged her reason for moving abroad.
“People thought I was pregnant when I relocated, and I was going to have my child in America. I would cry and wonder if I made the right decision because I wanted to go start all over,” she said.
The actress, who rose to fame after starring in Aruga, added that the criticism affected her so much that she had to reach out to her colleague Lateef Adedimeji while he was on pilgrimage in Mecca.
“He said go and prosper and prayed for me,” she recalled.
Temitope also said her passion for acting goes beyond the desire for fame or popularity.
“I love my career not because I want to be famous or well known. If acting happened to be like a doctor, I would still love it,” she said.
The actress went on to joke about her inability to dance and revealed that veteran actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, used to be her childhood crush.
“Ogogo used to be my crush. That was the time of the Owo Blow,” she said.
“Please, for God’s sake, I don’t know how to dance,” she added while laughing.
Temitope joins a growing number of Nigerian entertainers who have relocated abroad in recent years. While some have found new opportunities, others have publicly spoken about the emotional struggles that come with starting over in a new country.
This year, singer Dotman expressed regret about relocating to the US, saying, “I have been struggling so much in silence. I haven’t seen my kids for about two years now.”
