‘Dad Left When I Was 3, Got Pregnant At 23’ – Bisola Aiyeola Spills On Life Journey, Her Mum’s Disappointment, Absentee Father, And More
Popular Nollywood actress cum reality TV star, Bisola Aiyeola has opened up on her journey to motherhood, how her mother took the news of her pregnancy out of wedlock when she was just 23 years old.
The mom-of-one, in an interview with media entrepreneur, Chude Jideonwo explained that her mother was highly disappointed after she broke the news to her and that was the first time she wasn’t supportive.
Aiyeola appeared in the 2017 edition of BBNaija where she was the first runner-up. She was also one of the contestants of Project Fame West Africa in 2008 where she came 5th.
She said getting pregnant straight out of project fame and her mother’s disappointment about it broke her. Bisola who recently became the first black female host of the Family Feud game show said:
“When I told her I was having a baby after project fame, my mum wailed, like ‘who’s this boy that has stolen my jewel?’ I had never seen my mum that said before.
“She was like, ‘this (project fame) was what I thought was going to be the pivot that would escalate us to success and happiness and now you’re having a baby.’ It broke me.
“That was the only time I’d seen my mum not really be supportive. I had my daughter when I was 23. After she got over it and spoke to my sister, now she’s happy and would randomly tell me, ‘thank you. I’m proud of you.’”
The single mum also shared her experience of being raised by her mother alone while her father was absent in her life. In her words:
“My mum had two stores in Lagos Island. We were living [large] and people would call us London children. My mum traveled a lot. But life hit her. Her store got burned. She never got back on her feet.
“We hit rock bottom after which we started living from one family member’s house to another. I don’t have too many memories of my dad because he wasn’t really present in our lives. He left when I was 3 and I saw him only once after that. I think I was 13 at the time when he came to visit.
“Years before he passed, I called. I thought talking to him would spark something and make him want to reach out to me more. But it dawned on me there was nothing here. ‘Don’t push it. He wasn’t there for you growing up.’
“After that, I had an interview where I was sad about it. I felt that he wasn’t there for me. I got messages from my older siblings who told me they all went through it and it wasn’t peculiar to just me or my sister.”
ALSO SE SEE: Bisola Aiyeola Laments About The Travails Of Building A Home As A Single Mother
She also talked about how her lack of university degree affects her in public. According to her, she regrets not having a university degree.
Bisola admitted that even though it’s almost impossible to believe that she dropped out of university, she still feels like she missed out on a major part of life.
The multi-talented thespian and singer noted that in gatherings, when people share their school experiences, she feels left out.
Aiyeola said she feels comfortable talking about it now because God has blessed her. She added:
“Till date, I still fill funny about not going to school, I feel like I missed out on a major part in life cos sometimes in gatherings when people talk about a school experience, I feel left out.
I wish I experienced for myself what it feels like to be in the four walls of the university but I feel good cos I have friends who have 2 or 3 degrees but are feeding today from their talent and skills and not using the degrees to fend for themselves of achieving their dreams.
I am okay talking about it now because God has blessed me, I don’t dwell on it. I feel blessed for where I am today and if I probably went to school, I will probably not be in the entertainment world today.”