Renowned Nollywood actress Rita Dominic has bravely opened up about her personal challenges and the reasons behind her decision to step away from acting and embrace a caregiving role in the United Kingdom.
Addressing attendees at the Women of Valour Conference in Accra, Ghana, Dominic revealed that she decided to leave the movie industry and relocate to London during a challenging period in her life.
Feeling isolated after experiencing rifts with close friends, she felt compelled to take a break from acting.
“In 2001/2002 I stopped acting. I left the movie industry and moved to London because it was a very dark period in my life. I fell out with some friends I considered family, and I just gave up acting for a while. I needed to get out of that space for a minute. And then I moved to London and gave up stardom. You won’t believe this,” Rita Dominic recounted.
Sharing a lesser-known aspect of her journey, Rita Dominic disclosed that she discovered fulfilment and purpose while working as a caregiver in the UK. Despite societal perceptions that may deem her career shift as a downgrade, she found joy in caring for adults with special needs during a dark chapter in her life.
“I’ve never told people before. While in London, I was trying to make ends meet so I started working in a care home as a caregiver for adults with special needs. While some might view it as a step-down, I don’t. Taking care of others brought me joy and purpose at a time I needed it most,” she added.
Dominic also opened up about the societal pressure she faced regarding her marital status. Enduring years of scrutiny and criticism for remaining unmarried, she continued to face judgment even after tying the knot in 2022.
“In April of 2022, my sweetheart, my husband, traveled down to my state to marry me,” Dominic shared before adding, “For years, I was hounded with ‘When are you going to marry? You are old.’ And I will often brush it off. No one deserves to be subjected to such indignity based on outdated societal norms.”
Source iHarare
