Nigerian actress and television personality, Iretiola Doyle, has opened up on some aspects of her teenage years. According to Doyle, her family members, including her mother, were hard on her when she got pregnant at the age of 17.
While speaking recently at Harvesters International Christian Centre, Gbagada, Lagos, Doyle said, at the time, she was always surrounded by people who didn’t define her because of a misstep.
She stated, “You have to surround yourself with people who love and support you. I was blessed to have people around me; unfortunately these people are not family members. My mother didn’t take it lightly with me. I wouldn’t have handled it the way she did because I belong to a different generation. I was nurtured by people I met and they constantly reminded me that my life didn’t end with that bad situation.”
During those challenging times, one of the promises she made to God once He saw her through, was reaching out to young girls as much as she can. And one of the activities of her 50th birthday was to visit an all-girls secondary school.
“Impacting young girls is very important to me. If you ask me what my ministry is, I would say reaching out to young girls. For those who know the story, my teenage years were interesting. One of the things I used to say to God then was that if He straightened this journey for me, I would be like a big sister to young girls. The truth be told, the initial plan was to visit five schools because I am a recipient of grace,” she said.
To overcoming the stigma of early teenage pregnancy, she had to do certain things. While admitting that the situation affected her hugely, she said that she chose her friends very carefully; friends who were young ladies who had done well and had vision for themselves.
“I felt I still remained who I was. I came from a very good home, not by wealth but value. Education was not negotiable in my family. I didn’t want that one mistake to define who I was. But it was quite difficult for me because it was the talk of the town for quite a number of years,” she said.
She urged young girls who have experienced similar situations to remember to keep their dreams alive and go back to school after having their babies. For her, it is not about how many mistakes you make or times you fell; it is about how many times you get up.
“If there is anyone in your life who constantly reminds you of the mistake, you should define the relationship even if it means your parents. If your brother or father cannot encourage you, there is a problem because that is where our love is supposed to begin from,” she added.
Did she get the support of her family to pursue a career in acting? She answered, “Remember at that time, I was still estranged from my family as a result of my teenage pregnancy. So I was on my own for some months. But I had relationships; people were around me. An acting career is not something a lot of people understood then. You have to prove yourself and fight for it. I had friends who stood by me and friends who were very discouraging. To be honest, I didn’t have time to see if I got support from anyone. I was so focused on where I was going and what I wanted to achieve.”
While some members of her generation are social media savvy, she admitted that it is not her thing. It, however, does not mean she does not understand the power of social media.
“But you cannot find me doing all that ‘selfie’ thing. Frankly speaking, I don’t have that time. I am a very private person. I understand the challenge of what I do, I am an actor. When you see some – o n e on your television screen every day, it gives you the impression that you know him or her and you become interested in everything he or she does. But I’ll also like to protect myself from the public because the same audience that would applaud you today could bring you so down tomorrow. Acting is what I do; it is a job, a livelihood. It does not define who I am and how I live,” she said.
