Actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has opened up about his harrowing experience battling an undisclosed illness that left him debilitated for seven years.
In an interview on Oyinmomo TV, Ogogo revealed that during the period, he could only eat pap and had to say his prayers while sitting due to the severity of the illness.
“For a good seven years, I prayed while sitting, and I couldn’t eat anything except pap. It was a terrible period of my life. When I started collecting different kinds of treatments and going from place to place, I thanked both men and women. The only thing I couldn’t do then was go to locations often, and I never sold any properties,” he said.
Ogogo added that at one point he feared the illness would take his life. “I thought I would die and threw away my Mecca teeth,” he recalled.
Despite the intense health challenges, the actor, known for films like Owo Blow and Agbelebu Mi, said he remained strong and refused to part with any of his properties to survive.
His story is reminiscent of similar revelations by other Nollywood stars who have gone public with their health battles.
Earlier this week, actor Don Richard revealed that he fell ill after quitting smoking and drinking, contrary to expectations that his health would improve.
“I became suddenly ill after quitting smoking and drinking,” Don Richard said in an interview, adding that the development left him shocked and struggling.
In 2021, Joke Silva also opened up about her husband, legendary actor Olu Jacobs, who was diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies. The actress has since shared the emotional toll the illness has taken on their marriage.
“It has put a strain on our marriage. There was a point of acceptance for me that everything happening is reality and not a dream. That this is it. It is like the person I married, 80 per cent of the time, is no longer there,” she said in a 2023 interview.
Taiwo Hassan, who turns 66 later this year, remains one of the most respected names in Yoruba cinema.
He began his acting career in the late 1980s and has since maintained a steady presence in the industry.
