Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has disclosed that her mother, Rita Daniels, tried to prevent her from marrying billionaire politician Senator Ned Nwoko, but she refused to listen.
In a post shared on her Instagram page on Wednesday, Regina revealed that her mother “held her down” in Ned Nwoko’s house for seven years in an effort to make her reconsider her decision.
The revelation counters long-standing public claims that she was forced into the marriage at a young age.
According to the actress, her entire family — including her mother — was against her relationship with the 64-year-old lawmaker. Regina, who recently accused her husband of domestic abuse, admitted that she regretted falling in love with him.
She also pleaded with Nigerians to stop attacking her mother online, insisting that her marriage was not driven by greed or poverty.
“For seven years, my mum held me down. She tried, but I’m the one that has a coconut head,” Regina said.
“I’m ashamed to say I fell in love, but I actually did, and it’s crazy. Everyone said no. You all should stop saying that I married out of greed. We were not broke.”
Defending her mother, she added that Rita Daniels could not have been bribed to give her away since she was already the family’s main breadwinner.
“What amount of money can a man give to a mother to get her child that is practically providing everything in the house? I was her only source of livelihood,” she said.
The actress further revealed that her determination to marry Nwoko once drove her to a breaking point.
“My mother, my brother, and everybody warned me. I drove out at night one day, trying to kill myself if I didn’t marry Ned,” she confessed.