18th February, 2023
By Eluemelem Jennifer Chinenye
Veteran Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello Akinrimisi went viral on social media during the week after she was invited to Mercy Johnson Okojie’s Cooking show “Mercy’s Menu” where she spoke about her choices in life, fashion, principles she lives by, thoughts, and opinions about religion and companionship.
The actress as described by mercy Johnson to be an actor’s actor, a philanthropist, a singer, a mum, an eloquent speaker, and funny to be around, came in with excitable energy.
When asked how she managed to stay so fit, Shaffy said her fitness was aided by her lifestyle and work.
When asked if she cooks, she replied “I try, I go in the kitchen and ask them to pass me things and if that’s cooking then I cook but I have someone who cooks for me. My favorite meals are rice, yam, plantain, and beans.”
She called the meals the four African staples that one can never go wrong with, saying “although I am not a foodie” while laughing. The veteran added that she is team spicy as the spice “is what makes us Africans.”
Speaking to her about her bubbly, friendly, high-spirited, and always helpful personality, Mercy asked if she has always been that way or an attribute she had to cultivate being an actress to which Shaffy replied that she has always been a positive and helpful person to other positive people while shunning negativity in any form.
She acknowledged that while things (bad situations) do happen, people shouldn’t allow that to control who they are and that she has a spiritual aura that calls for her environment also maintaining positivity.
She also said that she is open to listening to anything and everything, noting that while she is a Christian, she is willing to listen to anything that makes sense to her and if a Muslim religious leader is speaking words of wisdom then she is also open to listening.
Describing her entrance into Nollywood, Shaffy Bello said it was a bit easier for her than someone who wasn’t known at all since she had been in the industry for 25 years due to the song “Love me jeje “ which she featured on, so people knew her face but not what she could do until she revealed herself as someone who could add value to the film industry. The veteran actress went on to say that her initial popularity got her in the door but her hard work got her to where she is now.
“It was challenging for me as a mom coming down here to Nigeria, leaving my kids at a younger age for a number of years before they could come to be with me, it was a sacrifice but one that was worth it in the end,” She said while talking about leaving America for Nigeria to work as an actress.
The actress also said that while most of it paid off through hard work the grace of God was the number one thing that played a part in her success.
Talking about her fashion sense, she said it was inborn and not learned, quoting a famous Yoruba saying “abi ni bi ni kin she ability” which translates as “its inborn and not by abilities.”
She also said that she loves fashion and has always been a girly girl from childhood.
When asked about desiring to settle down again by the host of the cooking show, Shaffy confirmed that she will love to be with someone, settle with someone as she doesn’t want to be alone in her older years but not necessarily by marriage but maybe a companion. She further described herself as a one-man kind of woman as she doesn’t subscribe to having multiple men despite the age we live in.
Talking about the upcoming elections, the popular actress said she will be voting although it will be her first time voting ever due to discouragement.
In her response to dealing with trolls, the actress said very passionately that they (trolls) do not have the power to make her feel bad about herself and that’s just their opinion although she always would wonder what exactly celebrities do to cause such a reaction from people but she refuses to dwell on it and would rather delete such comments and block the trolls.
She also noted that she came to learn that it is the tolls who have the issue and she is only doing her job acting out the script written down which pays her.