Chinedu Ikedieze: I contemplated suicide at 9 over stunted growth

Chinedu Ikedieze, the Nollywood actor, says he once attempted suicide after a doctor told his mother about his stunted growth.

In a recent interview on WithChude podcast, the 45-year-old said he was still at the age of nine when he first heard about his condition.

Ikedieze added that he cried many times to the extent that “I felt like ending it all”.

He also commended his mother for standing through for him during his challenging period.

“Something happened when I was like nine years, six months; I remember the man saying, ‘madam what he has is a stunted growth’. I saw another word, growth retardation,” he said.

“First of all, I was looking for how to pronounce that word. That was when I started hearing these words – stunted and retarded.

“While throwing all these tantrums at me? I cried several times. It got bad. There were times I thought of ending it all. At a time, I felt like it. Thank God I no grow up for Lagos. Third Mainland Bridge is not far.

“So when I remember how much my mother did to see us through, that made me draw empathy. I became emotional, I would want to call her.”

Born on December 12, 1977, in Abia state, Ikedieze is popular for his humorous characters in movies alongside Osita Iheme, better known as ‘Pawpaw’.

Since he kick-started his movie career in 2000, Ikedieze has won several awards.