Veteran actress Shaffy Bello has confirmed what many had long suspected about her: that she is a romantic.
In 2020, when she turned 50, the mother of two shut down the internet with her birthday photographs that left many questioning her real age.
Despite starring in numerous Nollywood movies, her personality as a romance figure stems from her delivery in the 1997 hit song, ‘Love Me Jeje’ by US-based Nigerian musician, Seyi Sodimu.
Five years later, the accomplished actress has revealed that she is indeed a romantic.
In a 2023 interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, the actress spoke about quitting her marriage of 15 years to Mr Akinrimisi.
She disclosed that the distance away from her husband, who was based in the United States, didn’t sit well with her, so she settled for a divorce.
She also described herself as a marriage-oriented person, but she would be okay if it didn’t come along.
Two years later, the actress has stayed consistent in her desires.
Shaffy, a guest on the ‘Diary of A Naija Girl’ podcast hosted by Adeola Agoro, talked about dating in her 50s and possibly getting married again.
Desires
While admitting that she is flattered by young men sliding into her DMs, some of them are badly behaved.
“Some will come and say ‘hi, dear’. I’ve done it before. Where I am now, what I want is different. When I did it, I was having fun, and it was for a season, and the season is over. I know for sure what I want now is marriage,” she said
Speaking to the show host, the ‘Gbomo Gbomo Express’ actress said that although she is not looking for any commitment, getting married is not off the table for her.
She also shared her reservations about the marriage institution and how things have changed.
She said, “I have a very different opinion about marriage and our beliefs. The culture is shifting. I think a lot of people are very rigid when it comes to marriage.
“When you get to a certain age, the pie of relationships becomes smaller. That doesn’t mean things can’t happen, but I’m not even interested anymore. That’s why I’m not even interested in any young guy. Any relationship. I’m good where I’m at. I’m not married, but if it comes, I welcome it.”
Hopeless romantic
Going down memory lane, the divorced mother of two said that when she was younger, marriage had a different meaning.
“You had to reproduce. You fall in love. You have a family. That’s different from where I am now. What a mature woman is looking for would be different, at least for a mature woman like me. Some ladies are 45 and still looking for marriage; there’s nothing wrong with that. But what I would like now is. I want to be comfortable.
“What you can do for me, I can probably do for myself. So what you are bringing to the table is different. What you bring to the table gives me peace of mind and lets us both fly. So now, when there is work to be done, we work for three or four months and then travel for about two weeks,” the actress added.
Admitting that she is indeed a romantic, Shaffy said that independence for women is powerful, but unfortunately, many women miss the fact that it is attractive.
“It’s attractive when a man says I don’t need you, I want you. I don’t need a man. I want a man. It’s nice. I am a romantic. I’m a wifey also. I’m not a girlfriend. I’m a wifey. I’m that kind of woman; my king is home.
“For my king, nobody can get into his head when we sit and talk like I do. Because when I sit and have an intellectual conversation with you, and I go here and you go with me and I go there and you go with me, that’s it,” she added.
Shaffy Bello
The actress, who started as a singer in the United States, has put in over 23 years in the Nigerian entertainment industry
Her work includes some of the most commercially successful movies of recent times.
Among them are ‘Chief Daddy’, ‘Reel Love’, ‘When Love Happens’, ‘It’s Her Day’, ‘From Lagos with Love’, ‘Elevator Baby’, ‘Nneka the Pretty Serpent’, ‘Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman’, ‘Lara and the Beat’, ‘The Waiter’ and ‘The Black Book’ among many others.
On TV, she has starred in AfricaMagic’s ‘Battleground’, Tinsel, ‘She Must Be Obeyed’ and more recently, ‘The Party’.
