STRIPPER STORY REALLY HURT ME – KAREN IGHO

Karen Igho is synonymous with Big Brother Africa Amplified, having emerged winner of the show in 2011. She spoke with Reporter, Lukmon Akintola, on the various negative speculations in her life, how she spent her winnings from the show and what led to her being assaulted at a recently gig.

You are back to work as a salaried staff. How did you spend your winnings from the Big Brother Africa show?

I built a house for my mother. I built another for my grandmother and I invested. Presently, I am working to make more money.

You have your hands in a lot of projects, including acting, programme presentation and a clothe line. How do you manage all these?

The list comprises the different things I do. I have people who coordinate them and the ones I have to do personally I do. Karenified, my clothe line, is still there. Last year, I rushed the first collection to meet with my birthday because I wanted to raise fund for an orphanage which I wanted to visit. My plan in future is to make it bigger. Now, I am taking my time and getting to understand the creative side of me better because I want it to reflect in the designs.

You recently ventured into acting. What motivated it?

I took a summer course in acting and tried my hands in some works while I was in school. That experience improved my confidence in acting and programme presentation which are some of the things I now do.

You are quite close to Denrele. What is the nature of your relationship?

I met Denrele in 2008. Then, I had just come back from the United Kingdom and my cousins invited me to his birthday party. We met there and exchanged contacts and became friends. He is very instrumental to where I am today and I am very grateful to him.

But there is a rumour that you are dating?

The rumour started as a joke and it went viral. Denrele is basically my brother and friend.

Do you have marriage on your agenda?

I won’t go and start looking for a man who will marry me, would I? Let’s just say I am waiting for God’s time, but I am still working on my career and I intend to build a brand before marriage.

What would your ideal man be like?

He must be a God-fearing man to start with. I also like down to earth people. The chemistry must also be strong because that matters a lot.

This is not a description one would have expected from a lady who is described as being wild?

Well, looks can be deceptive.

What project are you working on at the moment?

I am working as one of the cast of a new movie which is yet to be titled. I have also been invited to be part of a soap opera which will be hitting the screen soon.

You were recently assaulted at an event. What really happened?

I was actually invited to an event by Denrele Edun. I attended in company of a friend and my bouncer. The short version of the story is that I was slapped by a policeman in uniform. It is a shame that a man would descend so low as to hit a woman because no man is allowed to do that.

Can you give us the long version?

I got to the event and parked, but the policeman said he was saving the space for someone and that if I was not going to give him money, I should park somewhere else. I told him to let me go to the event and return. When I got back, I saw that my car had been blocked. He allowed someone else park behind me because I did not give him money. When I told him that I wanted to leave and that he should help me look for the owner of the car, he told me he wasn’t working for me. I think the man did not really know who I was. He said he would slap me if I was rude to him and before I knew it, he hit me. My jaw shifted and my face was swollen for a week. Interestingly, he even threatened to shoot if anyone helped me. He later fled the scene when he saw people were about to intervene.

You were harassed in front of your bouncer and he did not do anything?

My bouncer had been discharged to go home before it all happened. If he was there, it would not have happened.

What is the latest on the issue because we heard you were heading to the court?

We have settled out of court. The truth of the matter is that whichever way we want to look at it, the deed had been done.

What has changed about you since you won Big Brother?

I am still Karen Igho. This is still the lady you used to know. The difference is that I am more mature, older and wiser now. You will not catch me doing certain things. I now see life in a different way and I know a lot more now.

What was growing up like for you?

I grew up in the village. I stayed with my grandmother and we lived in a mud house. Whenever it rained, we would be soaked inside the house. The food we ate then was straight from the bush. Growing up, I had a lot of bush meat, which is why I love Nigerian food. I call them vintage food. Although I eat international dishes, I prefer Nigerian food.

How do you relax?

I like to cook. I learned it from my mother and my grandmother. My father died when I was 12 years old. Growing up for me was not easy. My dad was from a wealthy family; he is Peter Igho’s brother. I am sure everyone who knows my story will tell you that I was abused as a child. But I was not abused sexually; I was maltreated because I had to live with relatives. Nobody would treat you like his own child. My parents had me when they were young and they had various things they wanted to do. I had to stay with different relatives.

So, you did not share the father-and-daughter relationship with your dad

I know I had a dad. But I don’t know anything about him. I also know that whenever I saw him, I got really happy. I did not know anything about him, not even his birthday.

And your mum did not tell you about him?
My mum got married to someone else and I didn’t grow up with her, but my grandmother.

A lot was written about you while you contested in the Big Brother show. Do they still hurt when you flash back?

After three years, I have forgotten all the negative memory that came with the show. The stories that were written about me were not just false but slanderous too. It was unfortunate that I was locked up in the house and could not defend myself. People believed the untrue stories and it continued to spread, but winning the show enabled me to win a lot of hearts even those who believed all the negative things people said about me.

Which of the stories touched you the most?

The story that I was a stripper affected me a lot. Till date, it still baffles me. I was locked up in a house for 90 days. I didn’t kiss or have sex with any guy and people still believed that I was a stripper. How possible is that?

You spent a while in the United Kingdom. What were you doing?

I went there to study. I studied business administration at the Southwark College. I also took a summer class in theatre arts.