I was a woeful husband but excellent father — Jim Iyke

Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke, has opened up about the end of his marriage, revealing that personal emotional struggles changed his role as a husband and affected his relationship at home.

Speaking in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, the Nollywood actor said he went through a difficult period in his life where he lost his motivation and passion for many things around him.

According to Jim Iyke, the emotional phase pushed him to focus all his attention on raising his son, while his marriage suffered because he became distant from his partner.

He explained that he spent most of his time at home caring for his child and gradually stopped showing up emotionally in his marriage. 

Jim Iyke admitted that while he became fully committed to fatherhood, his wife struggled to recognise the man she married before the changes began.

The actor said he was honest with her about his situation and explained that he did not know how long it would take him to recover emotionally and return to his normal self.

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He said: “I lost  the lion in me, I lost the lead in me, I just gave myself to the element, and so she suffered for that. And then I became an obsessive dad. I gave everything in me to my son. I was the proper stay-at-home dad. I took everything to him and left her behind, I took all my love and attention and left her behind.

“I was an excellent father and a woeful husband.After a while, she said, “I can’t find who I married. We parted as friends. I told her, “I’m here but I’m not here, there’s no presence here. I don’t know what it’d take for me to heal and bring myself back.

“If you want to wait for me, I’d appreciate it. And if you can’t, I would understand. She said she can’t, so we shook hands and parted as friends.” He said. 

The actor added that despite the end of the marriage, both of them decided to separate peacefully and remain friends.