Actress Stella Damasus seems to be under attack from many fronts these days. The mother of three, who has been absent from the movie scene for years now, is constantly under attack especially from her female colleagues. It is no longer news that she has now eloped with the husband of another actress, Doris Simeon, to the United States where they are said to be living now. This has brought the actress a lot of criticisms and hatred with many people condemning and calling her names.
Stella Damasus
Since the issue started, Doris has been very discreet, hardly granting interviews and just gracefully going about her job. In a recent interview, she tried to be diplomatic about the issue while hiding her emotions.
She said: “Anything could have gone wrong. Anything could have triggered a fire anywhere. You don’t know what might happened the next minute. We are just trying to make things go right, but God has the final say. Yes, things happen in life and till eternity, you keep asking that question, ‘what went wrong?’ But if you dwell on that, you won’t move forward because everything that happens has God’s hands in it. There is a reason anything happens and it has been written that it will happen that way.”
Another issue that is brewing is that her husband, Daniel Ademinokan, has taken the son he has with Doris with him to America, which means that the child now lives with Stella. From what we gather, Doris is trying all she can to get her son back to Nigeria. She is not the confrontational type, but her colleagues have been fighting her battle.
Recently, Toyin Aimaku, opened a can of worms on Stella. Though the two had their own differences, which started last year, Toyin, said in a sarcastic text that if it were her son (that was taken to US and not returned), ma ti lu yin ju (I would have beaten you up). She also asked: “When are you bringing back our son?”
Another actress, who is also fighting Stella, is Helen Paul. Helen had for some time now very vocal about Damasus behaviour. Without mincing words, Helen, who was sharing a story about her humble beginning on stage at a comedy show recently, hit at Stella for always changing her surname. “Stella Damasus or Nzeribe; is she not even tired of changing surname? Today she’s Aboderin; tomorrow she is Ademinokun. Only God knows the surname she would answer tomorrow. Well, the good thing is that she hasn’t changed her first name, Stella; so we can simply call her Stella.” This got the audience reeling on their seats.
Most times such husband-snatching stories are dismissed as rumours and a ploy to discredit the celebrities, but the truth is that it is common in the entertainment industry.
Stella, for example, had never hidden her relationship with Ademinokan, even when the man is still legally married to Doris Simeon. There are many such stories in the industry.
Lola Alao
This actress, to many, is the leader of Yoruba actresses in the industry. It was Lola who linked other actresses to the Oshodi big boy and treasurer of the Lagos branch of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), MC Oluomo.
Oluomo, a married man with more than one wife, was linked with another actress, Tayo Odueke, popularly called Sikiratu Sindodo.
Funke Akindele
Talented thespian cum producer, Funke Akindele, popularly called “Jennifer,” is one of the most sought after actresses in the movie world. It was big news when she decided to get married to Kehinde Oloyede, who was then already married. The fate of that marriage is well known. In fact, after the wedding, Oloyede said that he regretted ever cheating on his wife by dating and marrying Funke.
But those who know will tell you that Oloyede was not the first married man Funke has been involved with. She was also alleged to have been involved with another actor, whose father is a veteran in the industry. The relationship was said to have became so pronounced that the wife of the actor went reporting Funke to her colleagues.
Lola Ibidapo Obe
Lola did not just have an affair with a married man she had a baby for him. She also was not discreet about the issue, as she confirmed to the press that the man was her baby’s father. This is probably because the man is no other than the former Federal lawmaker, Dino Melaye. She said she met the ex-lawmaker through another actress, Lola Alao, who probably had had her own turn with the man.
On how she met the former lawmaker, Lola said: “I actually met Dino through Lola Alao sometime in March or early April and, honestly, I was in need of help and Lola promised she would introduce me to someone who could help. The person turned out to be Dino. I actually visited him in Abuja. He was forthcoming and helpful. I was not the only one involved then but he took particular interest in me. We got to know each other and at a point, I was scared because he was all over me. Overtime, he showed me he meant well and we became good friends.” Meanwhile, the reps member was married at the time.
Mercy Johnson
Her wedding was one of the most talked about in 2011, not because of the way it was planned or the amount of money she spent towards making the ceremony a huge success but the controversy it generated. In the heat of the preparation for the white wedding, a lady, Lovely Okojie, surfaced and declared that Mercy was planning to get married to her husband of many years. In the face of the controversy, Prince Odionese, the groom, quickly divorced his former wife and went ahead with the wedding.
The marriage took place on 27 August 2011 amid tight security. This was because the ex-wife, Lovely, threatened to disrupt the ceremony.
These are confirmed husband-snatching cases. There are many others going on in the industry, which are yet to come to the open.
On dating married men, actress, Amaka Anioji, said: “Well, it is frustrating. It can be tempting sometimes when you meet married men, who are really very charming, especially when you have dated a single guy who is very annoying. You run into a married man who is good looking and experienced, you would be tempted to fall in love with him.
“But for me, I will always think of how dating a married man will affect people’s perception about me. Afterall, I am not going to marry the person but I’m more concerned about what people are going to say. I also consider how it will affect my relationship with God. Though it can be very juicy, I consider all that. I like to work and earn my living, it gives me joy.”
According to another moviemaker, Chidi Bright, “When actresses have enough money and fame, it makes them feel invincible and they can have anything they want, regardless of who owns it.
“It is not a good defence, but when you are an actress and you have the world at your feet. You are beautiful, rich and popular, you feel like you can get whatever you want.
“Let me make an analogy, you know when we, as humans, see a beautiful puppy with her mother, and we want it, we just take the puppy. We do not care how the mother feels. That is how it is with them. When these actresses get to a certain level, they feel on top of the world. They feel they can have anything regardless of who owns it. That is why they can just pick a man they want, married or not, and have him to themselves.”
For now, the trend might continue, as we expect to see more of such cases in the years ahead.
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