Veteran Nollywood actress Ngozi Nwosu has broken her silence on domestic violence, revealing she suffered physical abuse during her marriage, including beatings whilst pregnant.
The actress made the disclosure during an interview on Real Life Matters With Aunty Ayo, a podcast hosted by fellow actress Ayo Adesanya.
Nwosu said she had kept quiet about her ordeal for years, declining to speak publicly even when journalists approached her.
“I have not told people until now the kind of domestic violence I went through in marriage,” she said. “Even when the press came after me, I told them I didn’t want to wash my dirty linen in public. It was well while it lasted, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
The actress recounted a particularly disturbing incident when she was assaulted whilst carrying her pregnancy.
“He beat me even in pregnancy, and I said this marriage is a no-no for me,” Nwosu revealed. “My senior sister knelt down and begged me, saying he was sorry and asking what the world would say. I agreed, but once beaten will always be beaten. If you take it once, you must be ready to take it for the rest of your life.”
Nwosu disclosed that she once walked away from her wedding ceremony because of the abuse but was persuaded to return by family members concerned about public perception.
The actress challenged the notion that marriage should be preserved at all costs, stating: “I don’t believe marriage is a do-or-die affair.”
She criticised what she described as performative responses to domestic violence on social media, arguing that victims of severe abuse are often too traumatised to document their experiences online.
“There’s this notion I want to correct—people go on social media to post pictures saying, ‘He slapped me, he did this, he did that.’ When you see real beating, correct pummelling, you won’t even remember social media. You’ll forget about it and start struggling for your life,” she said.
Nwosu urged women trapped in violent relationships to prioritise their safety over societal expectations, referencing the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, whose death was linked to domestic violence.
“When this thing is too much, you have to move. It’s your life we are talking about here, not that person’s life,” she added.
