Veteran Nollywood actress Dupe Jayesimi has shared the heartbreaking struggles she faced due to childlessness, revealing how the emotional toll led her to alcoholism and the collapse of her marriage.
Speaking on Biola Bayo’s podcast, Jayesimi recounted her pain after suffering multiple miscarriages, enduring emotional neglect in her marriage, and the sorrow of raising children who were not biologically hers.
Failed Pregnancies and Marital Struggles
The actress revealed that despite undergoing IVF treatments twice, she was unable to conceive successfully.
💔 “I did marry when I was pregnant, but after the wedding, I had a miscarriage.”
She recalled another pregnancy that ended tragically:
🗣️ “They did a test, and I was so happy to be expecting a child. I was 40 then and truly appreciated God for the gift, but the scan didn’t detect that the pregnancy was at the back of the womb.”
Jayesimi also opened up about the emotional detachment in her marriage, saying her ex-husband completely withdrew from her due to their struggles with infertility.
📌 “Whenever we went to bed, my ex-husband would demarcate the bed with pillows so that our bodies wouldn’t touch. Two weeks after I moved out of the marriage, a pregnant woman moved into the house. I wept.”
The Pain of Raising Other People’s Children
Beyond her marital struggles, Jayesimi shared the heartbreak of raising children who were later taken from her.
🗣️ “I raised my younger sister’s child, but on the child’s wedding day, my sister told me, ‘You cannot sit there; even if you spent millions, the child is still mine.’ That broke me.”
Turning to Alcohol to Cope
The veteran actress admitted that she turned to alcohol as an escape from her pain and often danced excessively at events as a way to mask her sorrow.
“Whenever I go to events, I dance a lot, not because I am impressed by the party, but because I was using it to hide my pain.”
Jayesimi’s story has sparked conversations about the emotional toll of infertility, societal pressure on women, and coping mechanisms for grief.
What are your thoughts on her journey?
