Renowned Nollywood actress Rita Dominic has openly spoken up about her personal struggles and the reasons for her choice to break away from playing and accept a caregiving job in the United Kingdom.
Addressing guests at the Women of Valour Conference in Accra, Ghana, Dominic said that she chose to quit the movie business and go to London during a hard point in her life.
Feeling alienated after having rifts with close friends, she felt obliged to take a sabbatical from performing.
“In 2001/2002 I stopped acting. I left the movie industry and moved to London because it was a very dark period in my life. I fell out with some friends I considered family, and I just gave up acting for a while. I needed to get out of that space for a minute. And then I moved to London and gave up stardom. You won’t believe this,” Rita Dominic recounted.
Sharing a lesser-known piece of her journey, Rita Dominic shared that she gained happiness and purpose while working as a caregiver in the UK. Despite cultural beliefs that may perceive her work choice as a degradation, she discovered pleasure in caring for persons with special needs during a terrible phase in her life.
“I’ve never told people before. While in London, I was trying to make ends meet so I started working in a care home as a caregiver for adults with special needs. While some might view it as a step-down, I don’t. Taking care of others brought me joy and purpose at a time I needed it most,” she added.
Dominic also opened up about the societal pressure she faced regarding her marital status. Enduring years of scrutiny and criticism for remaining unmarried, she continued to face judgment even after tying the knot in 2022.
“In April of 2022, my sweetheart, my husband, traveled down to my state to marry me,” Dominic shared before adding, “For years, I was hounded with ‘When are you going to marry? You are old.’ And I will often brush it off. No one deserves to be subjected to such indignity based on outdated societal norms.”