Here are the grass-to-grace stories of some of your favourite celebrities.
It is easy to admire celebrities when they lavish money or live very luxuriously. Most times, we even envy them as they appear to be living what we term ‘the dream life.’ What we however fail to realize is that a lot of these celebrities were not born with a silver spoon. Some were actually, but the vast majority hustled their way to affluence. Some of these celebrities had very terrible backgrounds, rough childhood and whatnot, but they arose above all that to get to where they are today.
As much as this article is intended to keep you entertained, sharing the grass to grace stories of these celebrities is also to remind you not to get overwhelmed by your current humble state as well as motivate you in your career as an individual.
Yul Edochie
Today, Yul Edochie is one of the hottest and most sought-after actors in Nollywood. He is rumoured to be worth about Two Million Dollars. It wasn’t always so. Yul once revealed that he once had to sleep on the bare floor while squatting with a senior colleague at the time. You would think he would be spared from the hard life considering his background, but no such luck.
Yul had this to say when he was asked about his past: “I am proud of myself and my achievements. Though I’m not a proud or arrogant person. I try as much as possible to be real. If I narrate my story to you, you won’t believe it. When I came to Lagos, I was squatting with my friend and senior colleague, Nonso Diobi. Then, I used to sleep on the floor, but today, we are neighbours at Crown Estate, Lekki. That’s the irony of life.
Then, he was living in a one-room apartment, and I was sleeping in the parlour without minding the consequences. Of course, I didn’t mind because I know where I was going. I wasn’t concerned about the money I was going to make from this business. I just wanted to show the world that I can act and today, I have achieved a few things for myself.
That’s my story. I passed through this struggle not because of the name I have. I did it on my own, so, I’m happy with my achievement.”
Yul had his fair share of a hard life, but he rose above that to get to where he is today. You can too.
Timaya
Timaya’s road to fame was extremely turbulent. This however is not news to his fans and others who listen to his songs. He shared a bit of his story in two tracks – True Story and Plaintain Seller.
In an interview, Timaya narrated thus; “Let me start by telling you that I have stories to tell. Stories that you never knew about or heard. Stories that will shock every listening ear.
First, I lived with a woman older than me in Port-Harcourt before I became the Timaya that you know today. I’d been singing all this while but I hadn’t made any hit. I was writing my songs and hustling between studios. The woman accommodated me after I was thrown out by my landlord. And all through my stay, she fed me.
Of course, she handed me rules and regulations. I must be in the house by 7 pm and she slept with me whenever she wanted, whether I liked it or not.
And the day I say I’m tired, she’d sanction and threaten me for daring to go do with someone else. These are some of the challenges I faced that most people know nothing about.”
Joseph Benjamin
This Nollywood star is one of the high-flyers in the entertainment industry. He is known for his roles in the movie industry as well as for the speeches he gives at large events and other suchlike. What is not really known however are the difficulties he faced while working to get to where he is today.
He has worked as a bus driver and a security guard. He even sold things at the popular Balogun market, years ago. All these contributed to making him the man he is today.
John Okafor
Popularly known as Mr Ibu, John can be said to be one of the funniest men to have graced our TV screens for over a decade. Today he is one of the most sought-after Nollywood actors and consequently, one of the richest because of his impeccable acting skills.
However, before all the fame and wealth, John Okafor had a very rough start. He once revealed how his family went through hard times back in the village. He even had to sell firewood to survive at a time. Later on, he worked as a butcher and even as a hairdresser, before getting to where he is today.
Jude Okoye
A renowned music director and elder brother to the Peter and Paul of the popular Psquare music group once shared his grass to grace story. Today, he is highly celebrated for the successful man he has biome, but it wasn’t always so.
Jude revealed that he first went to Lagos in search of greener pastures, he had to sleep under a bridge for about 4 nights because he had no other option. He also said he even worked as a bus conductor at a time. However, his story was changed eventually and he was able to actualize his dream.
As humbling as these celebrities’ grass to grace stories are, we realize these celebrities were all able to rise from where they were to where they are today because they didn’t give up. All these go to show that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. Persevere in your hard work and someday, your hustle will click.
