Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor has opened up about her early marriage, revealing that she got married at just 19 years old through an arrangement made by her parents.
Sharing her story, she said the marriage was not her personal decision at the time and that she was initially afraid because she did not know how to love a man she did not choose herself.
“Marriage found me at just 19. It wasn’t my choice, my parents arranged it. At first, I was scared. I didn’t know how to love a man I didn’t choose.”
Despite her fears at the beginning, Ozokwor explained that love gradually grew between them as they built a life together.
“But as time passed, love grew. We spent 23 years together. He was sick for 15 of those years, and in 2000, he passed away.”
She revealed that they had three children together. After her husband’s death, she adopted five more children, although she sadly lost one of the adopted children. She said she now has seven children.
“We had three beautiful children, and I adopted five more. One of them died, so I now have seven.”
Ozokwor said she never remarried after losing her husband, choosing instead to focus on raising her children and building a stable home.
Reflecting on marriage in today’s world, the actress said people now spend a lot of time trying to fix themselves, yet many marriages still fail. She compared this to marriages in her time, especially arranged ones, which she said were built on endurance, commitment, and sacrifice.
She also spoke about the values she instilled in her children, which she believes helped her maintain a strong family despite the challenges she faced.
“I have told my children never to think of divorce. I raised my daughters to be respectful and my sons to be responsible. That is how I built a strong home through hardship, love, respect, and sacrifice.”
