Veteran Nollywood actress, Ngozi Nwosu has spoken candidly about enduring physical abuse in her marriage, recounting distressing moments that nearly turned fatal.
Appearing on a social media podcast, Nwosu shared painful memories while urging others not to remain in abusive relationships for the sake of appearances.
“I don’t believe that marriage is a do-or-die affair,” the actress said, emphasizing that many people stay in harmful unions just to maintain a façade on social media.
“People will post pictures and say, ‘he slapped me, he did this, he did that.’ My dear, if you see real beating, serious pummelling, you won’t even think of social media; you’ll just be fighting for your life.”
Recounting one particularly violent encounter, Nwosu said an argument escalated after she tried to avoid confrontation. “He asked me a question and I said, ‘Tunde, please, today is not the day for quarrel.’ I went to the kitchen to boil water, and he suddenly broke down the kitchen door. I will never forget that day,” she said, adding that the attack left her bleeding after her hair was violently pulled.
In desperation, Nwosu armed herself with a pestle in self-defense. “I was ready to kill him that day; I didn’t mind going to jail. I picked up the pestle and threw it at the door—it pierced through, and he dodged. I was shaking. My neighbours saw me naked,” she recalled.
The actress urged listeners to recognize when it’s time to leave an abusive relationship. “When it becomes too much, you have to go. If you take it once, just know you’ll have to take it for the rest of your life,” she warned.
Nwosu’s powerful testimony adds to the growing conversation within Nigeria’s entertainment industry about domestic violence, survival, and the strength it takes to walk away.
