She is one of the pretty faces that lit up the screen for many years, Caroline Ekanem Danjuma, is such a beauty to behold and coupled with her acting prowess, this has endeared her to many of her fans worldwide.
Born Caroline Uduak Abasi Ekanem to a Scottish father and a Nigerian mother, she became one of the most sought after actresses after her role in Chico Ejiro’s flick, Deadly Kiss. The University of Calabar graduate went into oblivion after her marriage to Musa Danjuma, the younger brother of General Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd). The strikingly beautiful lady would also be adored for her roles in Foreign Affairs, Real Love, The Twist, A Second Time, Missing Angel and The Beast and The Angel. Shortly after her marriage, she went into oblivion. She took a break from acting and was with her husband for many years. After the numerous controversies, the publicized marriage between the Nollywood actress, Caroline Danjuma and her billionaire husband, Musa Danjuma crashed and they later divorced.
For the first time ever, since her marriage broke up a few years back, she opened up on her separation from her ex-husband, Musa Danjuma.
“The actress on her Instagram page said she had blamed herself for not making a perfect marriage and she only realised she was not a failure when she started to heal.
According to her, she dealt with the hurtful words and constant mockery from friends and strangers who did not know what truly happened to her marriage. She wrote, “I blamed myself for not making a perfect marriage, I blamed myself for both faults of ours until I started healing then I knew I was not a failure.
“I prayed to God for assistance most importantly to forgive myself and him. Rather than hate the outcome of what was, I chose love and peace of mind for what is.
We both ain’t perfect and that is what makes us human. “I dealt with the hurtful words from friends and strangers, the stigma and constant mockery without knowledge of what truly happened. God whispered, I am with you and that was it. My journey to finding me began and I never looked back. I came, I saw, I conquered, most importantly, I have found my lost identity. Healed, restored, unprovoked, loving and blessed ..#howcarolynagothergrooveback
Thanks to @lanreolusola who spoke through the words in the Bible to help me find my way. Some of us are better off as friends than lovers. “It is ok to see a professional counsellor, you ain’t mad you just need clarification. It is ok to fail and rise again. Let God lead you. No hate but love always. Accept your faults, forgive the other and move on in peace.
“This is my first time talking about my divorce, not an easy journey, most times very painful moments especially if you are a perfectionist and kids are involved. Kill the hate, it will only ruin you. “If you are wondering how you will pick up financially trust me you will, just stay focused and determined. Love without regrets.” Her divorce message went viral on the Internet as many were envious of her union with her estranged billionaire husband when the going was good and thought it will last till the end of time but it was not to be.
In one of the interviews she granted when she was still married, she proclaimed how supportive and loving her ex-husband was, how she coped being married to someone of that caliber, why she took a break from acting for like 10 years and motherhood in general.In her words,
“I did not leave acting. What I did was set my priorities right. At the time I left the scene, I was a newly-wed and a young mother. All that mattered to me were my husband and children. We all know that acting is very demanding, so I had to do a careful consideration. I had just graduated from the University of Calabar, where I studied for a degree in Environmental Protection and Geography and I had a lot of things on my plate. Because talent never wanes, I decided to concentrate on working on the foundation of my marriage and my children. I tried to go back to the industry, but I think the time wasn’t right.
I miss being an actress especially when I watch Nollywood movies. Interestingly, I can no longer refer to myself as an actress because I have not been consistent. As much as I have my priorities, I still desire to be a part of the industry which brought me so much joy. Thankfully, I played a supporting role in a movie I shot alongside Moses Inwang titled Stalker. I was an assistant director, co-executive producer and stylist on set; it was a collaborative effort.
I got married about the time I won the Best Actress Award for my role in Mass Destruction at The Nigeria Movies Award that was hosted in Tinapa. However, it was very easy for me to make the switch because I am a go-getter. At that time, my mind was set on marriage; I always wanted to be married at a certain age. I was already a graduate and I wanted to get married and have kids because I felt it was a form of responsibility. Thankfully it happened. She also spoke on how she met her husband while working, the attraction and the journey, “Yes, I did but I wouldn’t want to talk about the circumstances under which we met.He was and still is very calm and gentlemanly; he was not too pushy.
The institution is not for fickle minds. I have learnt to be patient, extremely prayerful, kind and I don’t take things for granted. Even though I wanted to be married because I wanted to have children and a husband I can come home to, I have learnt that marriage is much more than the aforementioned. I have gone through the moulding stage; I am now a beautiful masterpiece.
My husband is extremely supportive of everything I do, he protects me and doesn’t want me to do anything that would hurt me and I appreciate that. I know what pleases him and he hasn’t stopped me from being a part of Nollywood. He knows I love being a creative person”.
The couple who got married in 2006 got separated in 2016 after 10 years of marriage. The union produced two sons and a daughter.
Caroline Danjuma, now Caroline Ekanem made her screen debut in 2004, starring in some of Chico Ejiro’s popular films. After a hiatus from the film industry, she made a comeback in 2016, producing and starring in the romantic thriller, Stalker.
The half Scotish, half Nigerian is the first of three children. She studied Environmental Protection Management, Geography and Regional Planning at the University of Calabar. She also obtained a certificate of achievement in Organisational Behavior from Edinburgh Business School in 2016.
Chico Ejigro through Rita Dominic introduced Danjuma to the Nigerian film industry in the 2004 film Deadly Kiss. She starred in other successful films, including Deadly Kiss (2004), Missing Angel (2004), The Captor (2006), Foreign Affairs, Real Love, The Twist, A Second Time and The Beast and the Angel. Her latest film is Stalker, co-starring Jim Iyke and Nse Ikpe Etim. In August 2017, she was honoured for her advocacy programs centred around building capacities for Nigerian youths by a Pan-African Organization.
– TAYO OYEDIJI
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