Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, has revealed the reason behind his failed marriage in an interview with media personality Toke Makinwa.
He attributed the breakdown of his marriage to delayed grief, mainly linked to the loss of his late mother in a video making rounds on Saturday.
“I was dealing with two parallels that I could not contain. I just lost my mom, and I was in a place where I didn’t know how to navigate the motions the woman was giving me.”
“I just needed somebody. She didn’t need me that way. She needed to love me, and I would love her back, and I couldn’t reciprocate. I turned all my attention on our child, and she didn’t know how to deal with it” Jim Iyke said.
Additionally, Jim Iyke disclosed that he was in the process of building a house for his beloved mother before her demise.
As the only male child in the family, Jim Iyke felt the responsibility to be the strong male figure for his family.
This role left little room for him to express his emotions, especially in comparison to the rest of his family, who openly mourned.
Jim Iyke reflected, “I didn’t grieve properly. I was the second head of the family; my father had fallen apart emotionally, and I had only sisters.”
Jim Iyke’s wife suggested therapy as a potential solution to address his emotional turbulence. However, he admitted that he hesitated due to traditional beliefs.
He said, “I hesitated because there’s a big stigma against it, especially for African men like us. The narrative goes, ‘He’s got it together. He’s a man. He’s the head of the house.'”
Looking back, Jim Iyke regretted not embracing the opportunity for professional help, acknowledging it could have made a significant difference.
Despite the end of their marriage, Jim Iyke has high regard for his ex-spouse and the memories they shared.
He still values the institution of marriage and hopes to explore it again in the future, wanting to take responsibility for and share his life with another person.
