by Kolapo Olapoju
“If you are not ready for marriage, don’t go there.” Those were the words of veteran Nollywood actress, Tina Mba, when she was a guest on a recent episode of Africa Magic show ‘Jara’.
When prompted about her opinion on marriage in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Mba told show hosts, Helen Paul and Uti Nwachukwu, that it is hard to juggle a thriving marriage and a successful career, hence, it is important to avoid venturing into it without being ready to make sacrifices.
The actress also stated that marriage is more burdensome on women in the entertainment industry, owing to the demands from the home front and the yearn to maintain a career.
Mba said, “I have two lovely children. But what I know about marriage is that it is an institution laid down by God, so it is sacred. What I tell people is that if you can’t stay married, please, do not go into it. Marriage is a burden; it is a huge responsibility. If you are not ready for it, don’t go there. Marriage is not about having a lavish ceremony. But it is about you and what you truly feel and how you tend to make it work.”
“What I am saying is that if you can’t keep it together, don’t venture into it. People marry for different reasons. If you are an actress, a wife and a mother, you should know your responsibility is more. Because you are married, you cannot go on a movie set and start giving excuses. You know you will be losing your jobs little by little. The directors understand, so they will be giving you slacks. You do not have to kiss and hug all the time,” the Nollywood actress added.
Back in 2011, in an interview with Saturday Sun, the actress revealed her reasons for staying unmarried.
She said, “Marriage is an institution I respect a lot because it was established by God and because I take it very seriously I have refused to marry. Marriage is a serious business but nowadays I think many people marry for the wrong reasons. That is why you see a lot of divorce cases, which was never there before. I have come to realize that people are beginning to find themselves.”
She also blamed her complex nature as one of the factors which has made her stay away from the institution of marriage
“If you are not ready for responsibilities, don’t take it because you are supposed to stay in it. I am a very complex person. Anything that makes me unhappy I do not joke around it. I walk away from it. It will be nice for people to be married for the right reason.”
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