Nollywood actress Moyo Lawal has shared an emotional video on Instagram just days before her birthday, opening up about a painful personal experience she said she had kept private for a long time.
In the video, the actress explained that she had deliberately avoided interviews and public discussions, choosing instead to grieve quietly with her family and close friends. According to her, she decided to speak now to correct a narrative she says has followed her unfairly and to encourage other women going through similar situations.
Moyo Lawal said she had been contacted by several young women who told her they were struggling mentally and felt overwhelmed by shame and fear after experiencing emotional manipulation and threats in their relationships. She stressed that such shame does not belong to the victims and is never their fault.
Sharing her own experience, the actress revealed that when she attempted to leave a relationship, she was blamed for what happened to her and accused of causing it because she refused to post her partner on social media. She said she was told that if he could not have her, no one else would want her, a statement she described as deeply damaging.
Moyo Lawal admitted that for years, she coped by escaping into her movie characters, numbing herself to her real-life pain. However, she said she has now decided to “flip the switch” and start living fully as herself, not through roles or personas.
