Popular Nollywood actress, Juliana Olayode, has tendered a public apology to her senior colleague, Funke Akindele.
You will recall that Juliana, who came into the limelight with her role as Toyosi in Funke Akindele’s sitcom, ‘Jenifa’s Diary’, had a fallout with Funke over an undisclosed issue in 2017.
Years later, in a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday night, Juliana expressed her deep remorse and apologized to Funke, admitting that she deeply hurt her.
She also addressed the issues that led to her withdrawal from the series.
“As a teenager, my career in the mainstream entertainment industry started in a place that many people who have put in years of hard work could only dream of. How could a neophyte start from the mainstream if not for a miracle?
In my case, the mercy of God and unmerited favor was evident. I broke into the industry by playing a friend and co-lead with a screen goddess who had put in decades of hard work and unprecedented creativity, even at that time.
God used Aunty Funke Akindele @funkejenifaakindele to put me into the limelight. It was a shocker for me, especially at that tender age when I had barely left secondary school. The kind of fame I earned from playing Toyosi in Jenifa’s Diary was too enormous for my understanding.
However, the lack of industry know-how started manifesting in me, coupled with the fact that I had a guardian (manager) who didn’t understand how the entertainment industry works, and I believed anything he felt and said.
My guardian sent an email to Scene One TV, the producers of the sitcom, the entire content of which I wasn’t aware of until recently.
The story of my goofs at the start of my career cannot be exhausted in a million words. I want to use this opportunity to apologize to Aunty Funke Akindele. Ọmọdé ò lè mọ ẹ̀kọ́ jẹ, kó má ra lọ́wọ́. I am incredibly sorry for how I hurt you and how the email that was sent hurt you.
Please forgive me for my childish mistakes of the past. I am deeply sorry for everything. 🙏🙏
I love you eternally, Aunty Funke.
❤️❤️NB: I just feel the burden to make this official. It’s not an attempt for people to help me beg her. I have met Aunty Funke; she has forgiven me. She hugged me, prayed for me, cooked for me like she used to in those good old days. Jollof rice elemi meji, fried rice, and sweet chicken. (lol)
I am her baby forever. She is such a sweet soul. The good days are back, and you should probably anticipate. 🤐 I love you all. Thank you. 😍”, she wrote.
Reacting, Funke Akindele, via the comment section of Juliana’s post, expressed her love for her and noted that she missed her.
“My Juliana. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I miss you. I will bite you. 😂😂😂😂 omo mi. I love you. See you soon.” Funke wrote.
