Joke says “..in this journey of Dementia now, it’s like ‘am looking after my father”.
Actress Joke Silva has opened up on the marital journey with her husband and colleague Olu Jacobs following the latter’s battle with dementia.
In 2021, the thespian spoke about her husband suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
In an interview with media personality Nancy Isime on Saturday, Joke said the illness has affected their marriage.
The movie star described her husband as an incredible father and an amazing husband, who did not fail in his responsibilities.
According to her, Olu is practically her best friend and everything to her in their marriage, hence, she looks after him as though she were taking care of her father.
Joke added that the love and affection she received from her husband during their early years are no longer there; nevertheless she loves him.
In her words: “We have been married for 37 years but we have known each other for 42 years, we were dating for five years before we got married.
“It has not been easy, in the early years of our marriage, we didn’t even realise the marriage had started. It took a lot of acceptance because I was like ‘Why are you behaving like this?’
There was a point of acceptance for me that everything happening is reality and it is like the person I married, 80 percent of the time is no longer there.
“But the thing is this when he was there, he was an incredible father to his children and an amazing husband, he was practically my best friend.”
“So, in this journey of dementia now, it is like I am looking after my father. The husband I knew is no more and there for me, but this man that is here is someone I still love.”
(Instagram: Nancy E. Isime@NsncyIsimeOfficial)