I appreciate life more than material things – Christabel Ekeh

Movies of Saturday, 27 June 2015

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Ekeh FameChristabel Ekeh

Even though she has the fame and the recogni­tion to do anything she wants or abuse her status as a public fig­ure, the Family Album actress, Christabel Ekeh, says her rise to fame and all that comes with it, has made her more humble and a better person.

“Yes it is true that when things get better or when people become famous, they get swollen headed and some­times they tend to be rude and arrogant and do not have respect for others, but in my situation, I feel more sober and humbled.

“As a public figure, I have had the opportunity of going to places like deprived villages, prisons and some children’s home and I always leave there with tears in my eyes due to some of the stories I hear about these people.

Especially stories about the inmates, some were very wealthy but today, they have nothing to boast of. This shows how fragile life is. Today you are here, and tomorrow all is lost. And with all these stories, I don’t have an option than to be humble”, she said.

“This is not to say that I was rude before I became famous but being in the lime light, there are some benefits that come with it. But lessons of life have taught me to respect others and appreciate life more than the material things that comes with it, after all, all the wealth that we accumulate are van­ity and when we are gone, we will not go with them,” she said in an interview with the Weekend Sun.

According to Ekeh, her mother is one person who is very particular about her staying humble even when she becomes the world’s richest person. And due to this, she is always available to scold her when she goes wrong as well as criticise.

“My mom is one of my biggest fans and she is very particular about me not growing horns as I grow in this movie industry. For my mom, a good name is better than riches and countless times, she re-echoes it. And due to the discipline she has instilled in me, I am left with no option than to look back whenever I take any step and analyse my actions”, she said.

Apart from lessons she get from her mother, Christabel Ekeh, is of the view that, as a Christian, humility is one of the attributes that a believer of Jesus Christ should possess.

She believes that, her living by the words of the Bible that says, “if you lift yourself up, God will bring you down.” Therefore, we should humble ourselves before the Lord so that He can lift us up is another reason fame has humbled her.

Commenting on marriage, she said; “I will marry but not now. It is the dream of most women to have a man and settle down and I am not an excep­tion. But I believe God’s time is the best, therefore, when the time is right, I will settle down and have a family.”

The 22 year old part Nigerian, part Ghanaian, came into the limelight at the age of 17 in the 2008 edition of Miss Malaika Ghana beauty pageant.

She came second. She later followed it up with a modeling and acting career.

She is currently the face of Star As­surance and she has featured in Peep, Potomanto, Before Noon, College Girls, Afia and Friends, The Battle, Sweet Mistake, Wrong Target and a host of others.

In a word to her fans, she said “love your life, believe in yourself and put God first.