For me not to run mad after my daughter's death, I put all her clothes in between mine"– Actress, Remi Surutu opens up about working in a Morgue to support her mother in new interview (Details, pics)

Remilekun Oshodi, fondly referred to as Remi Sirutu, lost her first daughter to sickle cell anaemia in July. For the first time since the death of her daughter, the ace actress speaks about how she has been coping with her daughter's loss and sundry other issues.

If you were not an actress what other professions would you have opted for?

I am not someone that can be easily predicted. There was a time I used to work at the funeral home, Ebony Casket, to be precise. I dined with the living and the dead. I worked at LASUTH inside the morgue with Aunty Taiwo Ogunsola.

Why did you work in the morgue?

I wanted something different, a rare field to play in. I felt that if my mother did not want me to do what I wanted to do, then I would do something extremely different. I wanted to frustrate her.

What was your mother’s reaction when you started working at the morgue?

She only said ‘you this child again’. I was not scared when I was working at the morgue because I did not kill them, they died. If no one takes care of the dead, who will? The fact that some people think that you may see some metaphysical things when working in the morgue is a lie. I did not see anything out of the ordinary while working there.

Did you eventually quit the job for acting?

No, I did not. At a point, I was combining the two jobs. I never left. I would go for some presentation I did for the late Alade Aromire; then from there, I would head for the morgue and be there all through the night.

We learnt that you are back on a movie set, what movie are you currently working on?

To be honest, I have been on set for a while and I have lost count of the jobs I have been pre-occupied with. I was on the set of ‘Gold Status’ by Tade Ogidan, which he says is for international film festivals. I am also a part of ‘Face2face rebranded,’ I have other works lined up for me.

Don’t you think you are overloading yourself with work?

I don’t think it is my fault and aside from the movies I listed for you, there are still some other Yoruba movies that I was involved in. I mean I was a part of ‘The real housewives of Iyana-Ipaja.’ All I would say is that God has been awesome to me.

When it is time to relax, what do you do?

I always travel out of the country but because of what I just passed through, I have been given a lot of work to do so that I can take my mind off my daughter’s death. I am still here in Nigeria but I would still travel soon.

Are you aware that some people think you can hardly speak fluent English?

Yes, I am aware. People say that a lot. There are times that I am at the airport and when I speak fluent English to the immigration officers, they are usually taken aback. A lot of times when I am at the bank for a transaction, most of the bankers are quick to greet me in Yoruba but when I reply them in English with my accent, they begin to look at themselves in amazement. When I ask what the problem is, most of them open up to me that they did not expect me to speak so eloquently. I just tell them sorry but they don’t expect me to be the same person they see in the movies.

How have you been holding up since the death of your daughter?

God has been so awesome to me. I had cried for a long while before you came into this place but I promised that I would hold myself all through this interview. I knew you would ask this question, so I promised to hold my tears but it is quite an impossible task (sobs). I must confess to you, I really miss my daughter, I miss her every day, I miss her so much because she was my partner and everything. She had a younger sister and we were all close. I must confess to you, for the rest of my life, I would never forget about her (sobs). I put her clothes in between mine and her shoes as well. So for me not to run mad, whenever I am picking my clothes, I pick hers up as well and say, ‘Ayomikun I miss you, I love you and I know you are still with me.’ When I am picking my shoes, I look at hers and say, “Ayo, look at your shoes here. (sobs). Please come and pick your shoes.” Some people tell me to delete her messages, videos and pictures from my phone but I cannot, we would live together till we meet again. In order to immortalise her, I am putting finishing touches on a foundation in her memory. I have to say a big thank you to Hope Fashion and Mutiat Alli who helped me stage a comeback after the death of my daughter. May God continue to bless every other person that stood by me during that dark period.