Nollywood actor Chidi Mokeme has revealed why he took a break from acting.
Prior to his return, the veteran actor was away from the acting scene for over five years which left many wondering if he had retired.
The actor in a recent interview on Rubbing Minds over the weekend said he took a break from the movie industry to focus on his health because he was battling Bell’s Palsy, a rare condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.
Chidi Mokeme said, “Yeah I have been off the film for a while. After we did the promotional tour for 76 and we went to the Toronto International Film Festival.
“I will say something that I haven’t actually said somewhere else because after that, as we were preparing to go to the UK for the British International Film Festival, I came down with something called Bell’s Palsy, it was the first time I was hearing it.
“I thought it was something I could move around with, I tried to come for the Lagos premiere of 76 at the time but the attention was sort of focused on the face rather than the premiere.
“Then I knew it was not something that I could work with. I will take time off to try and sort out that problem. So in the meantime, I just focused on doing my other business.”
Mokeme who said he considered himself mentally strong also educated the audience on his rare health condition and state of mind at the time of the diagnosis.
He said, “Bell’s Palsy comes like a stroke and it’s something that affects one side of your face and sort of gives you a droop. It was something that the doctors felt was incurable because they didn’t know what causes it, and they didn’t know how to treat it.
So, as an actor, if you come down with something that affects your face, you can imagine what I must have been going through at that time. I am a student of life and I take life very seriously and I focus on God.”
The actor made his Nollywood comeback when he featured as the male lead named Scar in the newly released Nigerian Netflix series, Shanty Town.
See the video below for more!
