Here is what new mum, Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson told
BellaNaija in a recent interview.
She got to talk about her new home in Ajah, most romantic
thing her hubby has ever done for her, how they met, the controversy
surrounding their wedding and why she chose to put to bed in the States.
It’s great to see
you Mercy. Let me start by saying that you have a beautiful home.
Thank you. It was a surprise from my husband, Odi. He didn’t
tell me about it while we were in America and when I returned back to Nigeria,
I thought we were going to our former house but he drove me straight here. And
then he also gave me a new car with the plate number ‘Odi’s Wife’.
Aww, that’s so
sweet. There’s been a lot of media attention surrounding the birth of your
daughter and her recent dedication. How does this make you feel?
At a point, I
actually felt the whole thing was over dramatized. I really appreciate the fact
that some people wish me well and are happy for me which is why I share her
picture on Twitter once in a while. On my Twitter page, more than 3000 people
ask me about Purity every day. Sometimes I get overwhelmed but I’m grateful for
the love and goodwill messages and I can only say thank you.
Purity is quite a
unique name. What inspired her name?
When I asked my
husband, he said “You. She reminds me so much of you.” He said I have a good
heart and he’d really want her to have a good heart and clear conscience like
me. And he’d wish for everything about her to be pure.
As a first time
Mom, how has the experience been so far?
It’s magical, it’s
awesome! I just can’t stop staring at her. When I was pregnant, my sister-in-law
came to the house and when her son pooped I said “Oh my God, don’t let it touch
my chair!” Then I was about six months gone and she just looked at me and said
“In three months time, you will understand”. And really, it is true. Now when
Purity poops, I begin to dance. Everything is special. I want to clean her up
myself, dress her up myself. I just can’t explain, she makes me complete.
Has pregnancy and
motherhood affected or changed you in any way?
Well, you can see,
I’ve added so much weight. But aside from my physical appearance, having Purity
has changed me so much as a person. Having her makes me want to set the right
example, to have good records so she doesn’t get embarrassed when she’s grown.
It changes my perspective to life and the way I react to things. I tolerate
things more, I overlook things more. I love children generally but now I
understand how precious every child is to their mother so I try to treat other
children the way I’d want her to be treated if I’m not around.
But most people
would call you sexy because of your figure…
For me, it just runs in my family. I don’t work out or do
anything. I’m just trying now to work out and swim to lose weight and get back
to work so Odi doesn’t get to call me Orobo again. When I bath Purity in the
morning and I see the curve of her hips, I say “Oh my God, Odi. Purity has
hips” then he says, “She is just 4 months old, shut up”.
That’s funny. Now
that you mention your husband again, tell me about him. When did you meet him
and how did the love spark between both of you?
I met him in 2009. We
had met before on a flight and I didn’t remember but we met again in 2009. He
is a good person. I can’t really tell how it started. We kinda clicked and
started dating just about the same month and it feels like we’ve been married
for four years because since we met, we’ve been really into each other we’ve
been really close.
He must have known
you were an actress then. How did this affect the way you started off your
relationship?
Yes he did, but he
didn’t know I was that big because he didn’t really follow the movie industry.
Sometimes you meet some guys and they get intimidated about you but not with
him. The first time we were supposed to have a date, he said “Let’s go to my
house so you can cook for me” and in my mind I was like “Seriously, this guy
doesn’t even know my name”. So I said “My name is Mercy Johnson” and he said
“Yes I know”.
What is the most
romantic thing he has done for you recently?
He got me a new
diamond ring different from my wedding band. I kept saying I want a new band,
something really big and he got it for me. He is extremely loveable.
In the weeks
before your wedding, some controversies sprang up and there were speculations
that the wedding may not hold. How were you able to pull through this period?
I knew my wedding was
going to hold. It is easy for people who are outside a box to try to explain
the inside of a box without coming inside. People who didn’t know anything had
lots to say. But it was fun to let them have their say. If having your say
makes you feel better, I can’t take that fun away from you. But we in the box
knew what’s up and people who wanted to know what was going on actually came
into the box and knew the truth.
Is there any
particular reason why you decided to gave birth to her in the USA?
No, I could have given birth here but I was at a point in my
life where everything meant a lot to me. By God’s grace, I got pregnant barely
a year after I got married and I just wanted everything to be fine. Not that it
wouldn’t have been fine here in Nigeria but it would be odd for us to say we
are not aware of the lapses in our health care system.
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