Seasoned actor, Jim Iyke, has recounted how his marriage with his Lithuanian ex-wife, Dana Kinduryte came to an end.
Pulling back the curtains on how the death of his mother had a toll on his marriage, he said his inability to properly grieve his mother led to his union break up.
In a recent podcast with media personality, Toke Makinwa, alongside his colleagues Chidi Mokeme and Kate Henshaw, Jim recounted how delayed grief hit his marriage on the wrong side.
The movie luminary divulged that his failure to mourn his late mother properly was the root of the issue.
Jim Iyke confessed to procrastinating during the grieving period, and when he eventually faced his sorrow, it had already exacted a toll on his marriage.
He said the passing of his mother, a cherished figure in his heart, left him profoundly distraught, vividly recounting the heart-wrenching moment of receiving the news of her demise during a BBC interview, which shattered him to pieces.
Jim noted that he was in the middle of constructing a house for his beloved mother when her demise occurred.
The actor went on to reveal that as the sole male child, he was thrust into the position of the unyielding, stoic pillar of strength in his family, hence, leaving him with little space to express his emotions.
While the rest of his family openly grieved, he shouldered the mantle of being the unwavering support.
According to him, it was solely after the final burial rites that he mustered the courage to come to terms with his own emotions.
He recalled that initially, he grappled with the enigma of what was causing his inner turmoil.
Jim shared that during this challenging period, his ex-wife made genuine attempts to offer him emotional support and love.
However, he conceded that he couldn’t reciprocate her affection. Instead, most of his love and attention were channelled towards their child, which inevitably caused strain in their marriage.
The actor recognized his wife’s justifiable feelings of jealousy as he lavished their child with affection at a time when she also needed his support.
Jim mentioned that, in an attempt to address his emotional turmoil, his ex-wife proposed therapy as a potential solution. Regrettably, he hesitated due to a traditional belief that therapy wasn’t a fitting avenue for an African man like himself.
Looking back, he regrets not embracing the opportunity for professional assistance.
He added that eventually, his ex-wife reached a breaking point, recognising that his prolonged mourning for his mother had irreparably damaged their relationship.
