In an interview with Punch, published today, Nollywood actress Mercy
Aigbe-Gentry got to talk about her V-Channel event incident where her
husband Mr. Lanre Gentry, supposedly pummelled her after finding her in a
night gown inside a hotel room.
Excerpts:
- When you read negative reports about yourself, true or false, how do you feel?
At times, they actually get to me; I will not lie about it. I am an
emotional person. Before the story about my husband and I fighting
broke, I had actually not had any scandal like that. When the story
broke, I was shocked and asked myself why someone would do such to a
fellow human being.
The story just kept buzzing everywhere and I felt very bad. It got to me. Before then, I thought it was
all part of the job, that whatever they wrote was their business.
What pained me most about the story was that my daughter came back from
school and told me that her
classmates asked her if the story was true,
if her daddy and I fought. It was painful because she is a girl and
someday she is going to get married. My father-in-law called me to ask
me if it was true. That is why I had to do a video debunking the claims.
- How did your husband feel when he saw it?
He felt very bad because the story also indicted him, saying that he was
a wife beater. It painted him as a bad person but in all, I thank God
that my husband was with me all through. He knew there was no iota of
truth in the story. He also learnt that not all stories were true. That
particular story actually got to me. Thank God it has passed, I am
waxing stronger and my marriage is still strong.
- Do you still have that controversial dress in your wardrobe?
After the story broke, I called my designer and said, ‘Tokunbo, that
cloth you made for me, did you see the story?’ Anytime I see the dress, I
have mixed feelings, I laugh and feel somehow. I have never worn it
after that day; it has a story attached to it. You know the thing about
these dresses once you wear them on the red carpet, that is it.
- Can you buy a handbag for N5m?
I don’t know. I cannot say the amount I can spend on an item. I love
fashion. One thing about fashion is that when you see something you
like, if you don’t buy it, you’ll not have peace of mind till you get
it, no matter the cost. That is the kind of person I am, and that is why
I cannot say how much I can spend on an item. Most times when I see
things I like and I have the money, I buy. I am working hard and making
my money. If it makes me happy, why not get it? We only have a life to
live. At the same time, I also know that there are people that I can
reach out to and put a smile on their faces. So what I do is find a way
to balance both.
- How about the N80m mansion your husband is reportedly building in Ikeja?
I don’t want to comment on that.
- How long does it take you to dress?
It depends on where I am going. If I am going to a party, it will take
me longer. Basically, I’ll say it takes me about an hour to get dressed.
The funny part of it is that if I have somewhere to go, the night
before, I’ll bring out like three clothes and some shoes to choose from.
So, it makes it easier for me the next morning.
- Do you ask your husband to help you choose what to wear?
Yes, I do. Trust me, they are tired of me -my husband and my daughter.
My daughter will tell me, ‘Mummy it is okay’ while my husband will say
something like ‘Darling, just choose one, they all look great on you’.
