Veteran Nollywood actress Omotunde Ogundimu has made an emotional appeal for financial assistance after revealing that she has been battling cervical cancer, a diagnosis she says has taken a heavy physical, emotional and financial toll on her and her family.
The actress disclosed her health struggles during an interview with her colleague, Biola Adebayo, on the Talk to B podcast on Tuesday, where she spoke candidly about living with the illness since 2025.
Ogundimu, a widow and single mother of three, said she had kept her condition away from the public for months, hoping to manage it privately. However, the rising cost of treatment and the severity of the illness have left her with no choice but to seek public support.
Speaking about her ordeal, the actress described the pain she has been enduring while appealing to Nigerians to help her access the medical care she urgently needs.
“I’m going through severe pain. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I don’t know where I got it from. I don’t look for people’s trouble; I’m an easy-going person,” she said.
According to Ogundimu, her children have shouldered much of the financial burden of her treatment, exhausting their personal resources in an effort to keep her alive.
“I have reached out to some people who have been of help. My children have also spent all they have. My children are now exhausting their income on me. They can no longer care for themselves, but I thank God for blessing me with my children. I had refused to seek help from the public, but as it is now, I don’t have any option other than to do it.”
Acknowledging that her appeal may attract mixed reactions, the veteran actress said her priority is survival and overcoming the disease.
“I know people will bully me and some will help me. I just have to cry out for help so that I can survive this deadly disease because I don’t have anything left. Nigerians, please have mercy on me. I just want to be healed. The pain is severe. I’m a single mother of three. I’m a widow. I lost my husband in 2012.”
Beyond her health challenges, Ogundimu also expressed sadness over what she described as years of being overlooked in the Nigerian film industry despite her decades of service.
The actress claimed she has repeatedly reached out to colleagues in search of acting opportunities but has received little support, a situation she believes has worsened her financial struggles.
“I don’t usually get jobs. I have called my colleagues in the industry to beg them for movie roles, but none of them did. Please, if I offended anyone in the industry, please forgive me. I use God to beg you. I beg you in the name of this profession to please forgive me if there’s anyone that I offended because it wasn’t like this before. I have been doing this job for 35 years,” she said.
Ogundimu's emotional appeal has drawn attention to the challenges faced by some veteran actors, particularly those dealing with serious health conditions and financial hardship after decades of contributing to Nigeria's film industry.