Nollywood actress Jemima Osunde has opened up about a life-threatening health challenge that has plagued her for the past three years. The actress revealed that she developed Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) after contracting H. pylori from contaminated food while working on a movie set in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Taking to her X handle, Jemima expressed deep regret over the experience, stating that the illness has left her fighting for her life. She wrote:
“I’ve never regretted anything the way I regret taking that job and going with them to Ibadan to shoot under their care. Got H. pylori from set food, and the aftermath GERD has left me fighting for my life the last 3 years. The past month has really been something. sigh.”
The revelation sparked a wave of support from her colleagues, including actress Omowunmi Dada, who shared a similar traumatic experience. Omowunmi recounted being abandoned at a hotel after contracting sepsis on a movie set in Oyo. She narrowly survived after her family and management intervened.
Omowunmi wrote:
“My dear, I got sepsis on a project in Oyo; they literally left me in the hotel. Thank God my family and management got a car to take me to a hospital in Ibadan. I got there unconscious. It was sepsis, and I was lucky to be alive. Funny thing, production asked for a full refund. Hmm.”
Jemima responded to Omowunmi’s story, expressing gratitude for her survival while highlighting how both actresses faced demands for refunds instead of concern for their health. She added:
“OMG! Sepsis? Thank God for your life, sis. Thank God! Same! I got myself to Lagos and to the hospital, paid for my treatment myself. They were sending me messages about a refund. By the time my team sent a response with all the clauses they had breached in the contract, they went quiet. Talking about a refund when you haven’t even asked if I’ve recovered.”
Both actresses’ revelations have drawn attention to the negligence and poor treatment of actors on movie sets, prompting calls for better working conditions and care in Nollywood.
