Nollywood actress Funke Akindele has revealed how embracing her lowest moments became the foundation for her emotional healing push towards and creativity.
Speaking during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, the thespian, in a rare moment of raw honesty, shared a personal account of how she navigated her mother’s death, the end of her marriage, and political defeat whilst also shouldering the responsibilities of single motherhood and public scrutiny.
Known for her comedic brilliance, Akindele admitted that for years, she wore strength like armor, refusing to show cracks, even to herself. However, her resilience eventually pushed her to the edge.
“I don’t like to mourn or dwell on pain,” she confessed. “When my mum died, I just wanted to skip through the grief. I told myself, ‘Girl, move on. Be strong.’ But it all caught up with me. I almost broke beyond repair.”
The mother of two explained that It wasn’t just personal tragedy that weighed on her but criticism online, including false accusations and harsh commentary about her career and personal life.
“The final straw was an online attack,” she recounted. “Someone accused me of something completely false. I had just lost my mother. My marriage was over. I had just faced a political loss. I was raising kids on my own. And then this? I broke. I cried for weeks. I couldn’t eat. I was exhausted from pretending to be okay.”
According to her, what initially felt like collapse turned out to be transformation.
She said, “For the first time, I allowed myself to fall apart. And I learned that healing starts when you stop running from the pain.”
The 47-year-old stated that she now sees that dark period not as a setback, but as a necessary reset. She explained that she channelled her pain into powerful storytelling through film.
“I found strength in my weakness,” she added. “And now I’m creating from a place that’s more real than ever before.”
