“I Don’t Have A Relationship With My Father” – Yvonne Nelson

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Background

I am a Ghanaian actress, film producer, entrepreneur and a former Miss Ghana contestant. I earned a degree in Human Resource Management at Central University College in Ghana.

Acting

I landed my first movie role shortly after I participated in the Miss Ghana beauty pageant in 2005. I also won a two-year contract as face of Maxim Cosmetics in Ghana and got a role in the TV series, Fortune Island. My first lead role was the title character in the movie, Princess Tyra. I don’t see myself quitting acting anytime soon because I am extremely passionate about it and I have so much more to achieve as an actress.

Family

My mother raised me single-handedly and she means the world to me. I am the last child and I have three siblings. She saw me through school and till date, she calls and checks up on me on a regular basis because she is concerned about my welfare. She is like my friend and I even call her Charlie.

Father-daughter relationship

My dad was not a part of my life because he wasn’t there for me. So, I almost do not say anything about him because there is no relationship or love between us. My dad is like any other person out there because I didn’t have a chance to develop a relationship with him. We have each other’s phone numbers and he calls me when he feels like talking to me. It always feels like talking to a random person because there are absolutely no feelings whatsoever.

Forgiveness

Sometimes our society makes it hard for us talk about things like this. But, it’s my story and I don’t have any other way to say it and I don’t want to sugar-coat it. He was never a part of my life and it is quiet unfortunate. We actually have an ‘okay’ relationship and it’s not like I won’t talk to him if I see him today.But it ends there because we do not have a relationship. Talking to him is akin to talking to someone you don’t know.

Projects

I am currently more involved in productions and I have just produced my sixth project- a TV series titled Heels and Sneakers. I decided to shoot a series because I wanted to try my hands on other things.I am very excited about this project because 90 per cent of the cast involved is new. I have shot season one and we have seven more seasons to go. I know it’s risky to cast totally new faces but I am of the opinion that when you have a good product, it will sell. I was also a newcomer up until Abdul Salam Mumuni, gave me an opportunity to play a lead role in his movie in 2005.He also gave me a chance and put me on the movie poster. That turned out to be one of the biggest movies in Ghana. So, this is my own little way of giving back.

Challenges

We all come across challenges day in day out but I have learnt to stay calm when faced with something I have absolutely no control over. I always stay positive and shut out all the pessimism around. Sometimes, I go on my knees and pray to God.

Weight loss

I decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle, so I now go to the gym with my mum, I jog and eat healthy. I went down to a size six from a size 12. Negative comments about my weight loss didn’t really bother me. You don’t need to abuse me because you are not used to seeing me look a certain way.

Strength

I don’t even have enough time to visit blogs because my social media accounts keep me busy. I run my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat accounts by myself. I am also involved in my productions and sometimes they take the entire day. So, I don’treally have time to bother about critics.

Beauty

I hate make-up and I usually tell my friends that I wish we could just walk around barefaced and no one would judge us. But, that is not the case anymore, as everything has to work a certain way; you need to contour your face and ensure that you look good all the time. I use a special face wash and scrub. I think the most important beauty item for me is my foundation. This is because it covers even the tiniest spots on my face.