I Felt Inadequate Knowing I Couldn’t Have Children – Actress Nse Ikpe-Etim
Iconic Nigerian actress, Nse Ikpe-Etim, has revealed how she felt when she realized that she is unable to bear kids. The thespian noted that while she did not feel ashamed, she felt inadequate as a woman.
The actress had revealed that she had to undergo a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus after she was diagnosed with adenomyosis.
While chatting with Chude Jideonwo, the actress said, “Finding out I couldn’t have children didn’t make me feel ashamed. I felt inadequate. I felt inadequate as a woman but not ashamed, which was because of how I was brought up.
“I felt inadequate as a woman. I thought will the world hate me. There are cases that people are just born with an imbalance like that, I had a medical condition.”
She further mentioned that adoption was on the table for her and her partner, Clifford. The actress further described herself and her partner as ‘dog parents.’
“When it comes to adoption, you can never say never, but my partner and I are dog parents. People should be allowed to live, what else? We are okay! And nothing defines you, not one thing defines you.”
Also speaking on her battle with depression, she described the feeling as a big dark cloud hovering over a person.
“Depression is like a dark cloud that hovers around you. It is like a big black dark cloud that comes at you. You know you can run but you stand, not because you want to face it but because your legs will never move no matter how hard you try. I cannot tell that another would love me; you cannot tell if someone is going to love you. Because I can’t do anything else, I really can’t do anything else.
“Sometimes, you cannot explain why you shut out the world. And when you shut out the world, everyone blames you for not speaking to them; nobody is asking, ‘how are you?’ Should we talk about the fact that I did not just want to see the sunlight and then you lock up,” the actress said.