Chacha Eke’s Husband Speaks on Living With Mentally Ill Wife, Shares Scary Experiences: “6 of Us Bundled Her”
- Popular Nigerian actress and mental health advocate Chacha Eke’s husband, Austin Faani, opened up about her illness
- In a video posted online, Austin explained what it has been like to live with a mentally ill partner as he shared some of her episodes
- The viral video sparked a series of mixed reactions from Nigerians, with many of them having hot takes on the topic
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Nigerian actress Chacha Eke’s husband, Austin Faani, has shared what it has been like living with a mentally ill partner.
On Chacha’s official Instagram page, a video was posted of Austin sharing some of the episodes his wife experienced and how he was able to help her get through it.
Source: Instagram
The father of four recounted how he woke up one midnight after hearing a loud noise only to discover his wife standing in front of a huge mirror she had broken. He noted that Chacha claimed to have seen people creeping out of it, so she had to destroy it.
Austin said:
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“One night I was sleeping and the next thing I heard ‘gboah!’ I woke up and I saw my wife in front of a big mirror around 1am. The mirror was on the floor, shattered everywhere. I said ‘baby what’s going on?’ She said some people were creeping out of the mirror so she had to break it. I said ‘nobody is creeping out of the mirror, come and sleep, you will be fine’.”
How 6 different men bundled Chacha to the hospital
The actress’ husband went ahead to recount another of his wife’s manic episodes that led to him and six other men bundling her to the hospital.
Austin explained that she was already bleeding and losing blood because she had accidentally harmed herself. According to him, her hands needed to be tied for her to be bundled to where she would get help.
He said:
“I was in Lagos, my nanny sent me a message that it has started again because she knows, everybody knows. I called a friend of ours, it was him, my friend, like six different men that bundled my wife to the hospital. They tied her hand…you need to see the humiliation, but she needed to be saved because at that time she had hurt herself accidentally so the blood was everywhere, so they were even scared because she was losing blood and needed to get to the hospital, whatever it took, they did it and took her to the hospital.”
Not stopping there, Austin recounted another episode that led her to go to Ghana and how he had to follow her there. He explained that he needed security operatives to be aware because if he bundled her the way they used to do in Nigeria, people would most likely beat him up.
He said:
“The last one is very funny, that one is international. She went to Ghana and I followed her. I had to follow her to Ghana because at that point I knew I’m the only one that understands what is going on, nobody else understood. On my way to Ghana I even contacted Mary Njoku, that’s Iroko TV CEO, I was like I’m coming to Ghana, nobody understands this thing, I’m the only one who understands so I need police to guide me because If I do it the way I do it in Nigeria, they might beat me up because I’m going to bundle her, that’s how we always do it because she’s very stubborn, she will not listen to you. At that point she will be asking you if you’re stupid to think that she’s not okay. She was in the office asking ‘do you know what it means to live with mental illness?’ I asked her, ‘do you know what it means to live with someone that has mental illness? You can know how you feel, I don’t know how you feel, but do you know how I feel being around you? Have you asked that question? She was just looking at me because she’s very smart, when you ask the right questions she knows.”
I did it for my friend - Austin Faani
Austin Faani went on to explain that often, people call him a strong man for doing all he does for his wife. According to him, he feels he is doing it for his friend, and that is where his strength comes from. The father of four noted that he doesn’t think he can exist without Chacha. He disclosed that he knew her from when they were both very young, and all they had was each other.
He said:
“Some people say ‘Austin you’re a strong man and I’d be like ‘ehnehn, what I did meant I was strong? Oh okay, but I think I did what I did for my friend. I’ve told her several times that if I wasn’t married to you maybe I would be one of those happily divorced men. This is my friend, I don’t think I can exist without her so I think that is where the strength comes from, the strength comes from the fact that I knew her when she was very young, we were very young, all we had was each other and a dream, hope, belief, and we moved from there, every other thing is history, so we moved from there.”
Chacha Eke appreciates her husband
In the lengthy video, Chacha Eke showed appreciation to her man for all he has done for her. According to the actress, he has been very instrumental in her recovery.
She said in part:
“He has been very instrumental to my recovery, my children too have been. I have four children and all of them are worried that mummy gets a little bit psycho.”
See the full video below:
Reactions as Chacha Eke’s husband explains living with a mentally ill partner
The video of Chacha Eke’s husband, Austin Faani, sharing his experience living with his mentally ill wife soon spread on social media and sparked a range of reactions.
While some netizens praised his strength, others showed concern for their marriage. Read some of their comments below:
elcynuc:
“Creating awareness for mental health is very important in our society. It is just like every other sickness and shouldn't be seen as a taboo. May God strengthen partners, loved ones, and those living with those suffering from MH/illness.”
mr_knightfoxx:
“She's suffering from schizophrenia, funny enough it starts mostly when there are so much thoughts and those becomes fantasies which gradually becomes her delusional reality, I am saying this from a first hand experience.”
being_mara_':
“This made me teary everyone needs this type of man in their life. doesn’t have to be mental illness but we need someone like this in our life both male and female. Never judge from afar.”
Beautybyrmd:
“A Good man is a good man no matter the situation.”
scentsbyeden:
“I’m speechless. Mental illness is no joke, I wish her perfect healing.”
ohyescynthiaaa:
“Thank you for sharing your story and constantly raising awareness on this topic. Many are undiagnosed unfortunately and can't fathom why they behave the way they do....... Having a great support system around you makes the journey less lonely.”
Koniwalox:
“Austin is a man. He has stand more than a rock. Cha Cha is such a lucky girl. What would her life be if he married someone not dedicated like him.”
ifunanyaigwe.kmj:
“Mr Austin that I know loves Chacha deeply with his life,he calls her “Utomdinanwanyi”thank you for standing by her Sir,God bless you.❤️”
queenesty.92:
“In all you do please marry your best friend oooo… e get why… God bless you sir… you are indeed a blessing to our beautiful soul aunty chacha..❤️.”
I loitered Lagos streets for days - Chacha Eke
In other similar news, Legit.ng had earlier reported on Chacha Eke recounting a manic episode she had experienced.
On June 1, 2023, she shared a photo of a fake ID she had used on the same date in 2022. According to her, she was in the middle of a manic episode that lasted for months.
Chacha noted that she had woken up one day at 3 in the morning feeling unsafe, leading to her running to a motor park and travelling all the way from Asaba to Lagos like a fugitive. The actress added that for days, she loitered the streets, hotels and beaches of Lagos. She explained that she had used the fake ID to travel to Ghana by boat.
Source: Legit.ng
