Chidi Mokeme explains why he took a break from acting

Popular Nollywood actor, Chidi Mokeme, has revealed why he took a break from acting in a recent interview.

While appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Rubbin Minds’, the actor said he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, an uncommon condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.

He said: “Yeah I have been off the film for a while. After we did the promotional tour for 76 and we went to the Toronto International Film Festival. I will say something that I haven’t actually said somewhere else because after that, as we were preparing to go to the UK for the British International Film Festival, I came down with something called Bell’s Palsy, it was the first time I was hearing it.”

After his diagnosis, he tried to continue with his work until it was clear that he had to take a break.

He said: “I thought it was something I could move around with, I tried to come for the Lagos premiere of 76 at the time but the attention was sort of focused on the face rather than the premiere. Then I knew it was not something that I could work with. I will take time off to try and sort out that problem. So in the meantime, I just focused on doing my other business.”

Mokeme later educated the audience on his uncommon health condition and state of mind at the time of the diagnosis.

He said: “Bell’s Palsy comes like a stroke and it’s something that affects one side of your face and sort of gives you a droop. It was something that the doctors felt was incurable because they didn’t know what causes it, they didn’t know how to treat it. So, as an actor if you come down with something that affects your face, you can imagine what I must have been going through that time.”

Mokeme made his return as the lead named Scar in the recently released Nigerian series called ‘Shanty Town.’