Veteran Yoruba movie actress and filmmaker Omotunde Apinke Ogundimu has made a heart-wrenching public appeal to Nigerians and her entertainment colleagues for urgent financial assistance and prayers as she battles cervical cancer. The beloved movie star, who has been quietly fighting the grueling disease since 2025, opened up about her deteriorating health during an emotional interview with her colleague, Biola Adebayo, on the popular Talk to B podcast. Expressing immense physical and mental exhaustion, the actress broke down as she described the excruciating daily pain she endures.
A widow and single mother of three since her husband passed away in 2012, Ogundimu shared that her children have completely depleted their personal incomes trying to keep up with her mounting medical bills. She admitted that she initially resisted making a public plea due to the fear of social media bullying, but reached a breaking point where she had no choice but to beg for her life.
“The pain is too severe. I did these tests, and I was diagnosed with cervical cancer,” the actress wept. “Why did it happen to me? I am very easy-going. My children have also spent all they have. My children are now exhausting their income on me. They can no longer care for themselves… I want to be fine. I want to be healed. Please, have mercy on me. Please, I have nobody”.
The public outcry has sent shockwaves through the Nollywood community, prompting fans and colleagues to initiate urgent fundraising drives to support her treatment. Her heartbreaking revelation comes just days after fellow actress Destiny Etiko similarly took to social media to rally financial support for another ailing Nollywood actress, Cynthia Nkachukwu Anijekwu, who is also battling cancer, intensifying ongoing discussions around the lack of institutional health insurance and welfare packages for veteran actors in the Nigerian creative industry.
