‘What Junior Pope told me before his death’ — Esther Nwachukwu

In a recent revelation, actress Esther Nwachukwu alleged that late actor Junior Pope had confided in her about his marital troubles before his untimely death on April 10, 2024.

This disclosure came amidst criticism directed at Pope’s wife by Nwachukwu, who argued that the widow should have observed a longer mourning period.

According to Nwachukwu, societal norms would suggest a mourning period of six months to a year, instead of attending social events shortly after the Pope’s death.

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Nwachukwu told Saturday Beats, “When Junior Pope was alive, the wife never gave him peace. She disturbed him a lot. I actually dated Junior Pope, and I still have his name tattooed on my body.

“While we were together (dating), he told me how his wife used to disturb him. But, one thing about him is that he likes to trend. He would be going through a lot, but would still come on social media to post (pictures and videos of) his family. From December 2023, he stopped posting (pictures of) his wife like before. That was when they started having issues. Sometimes, he wouldn’t sleep in his house, but would rather stay in hotels.

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“I am sure some people who were close to him knew about it. But, because he had painted himself as a good husband online, he did not know how to tell people about his issues. That was why he died in silence.”

Criticising Pope’s wife, Nwachukwu said, “A grieving wife wouldn’t have come out barely two months after the death of her husband. She came out and acted like all was well, and because many Nigerians like eye service, she decided to dress in black, so people would think she was mourning.”