BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO
ACTOR Blessing Chimhowa, famed for his role as Mbudziyadhura in the hilarious drama series Gringo, has revealed that he was suffering from depression caused by economic woes and a family row over a child from his first marriage.
Mbudziyadhura, who played a key role in the iconic drama and his wife Agnes Nangara told NewsDay Life & Style that he was suffering from abdominal complications that saw him being rushed to a Gweru clinic last week.
He is now recovering from home, but in need of medication.
“My husband’s stomach problem (suffering from gastritis) was activated by depression. The depression was caused by a lot of things,” Nangara said.
“The doctor said it was gastritis, depression triggered the acid reflux.”
“Right now, he is improving, someone bought him medication, Fortune World Stem Cell for one course. He still needs more medication which costs US$125 to fully recover and he was prescribed a special diet,” she said.
The actor, who is now based in Hozheri, Gweru, concurred with his wife, saying he was, however, not ready to reveal much.
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“It’s a personal issue. In short, it is about the disappointment over my first-born child from my first marriage. This happened at the end of 2019 and we relocated last year. Another factor is economic hardships affecting almost everyone,” he said.
“I am recovering. At least I got some of the prescribed medicine. I was also involved in an accident in 2019 and this caused complications in my stomach. I was even operated on. I remember I spent six hours in the theatre and for three days I was on coma. This stomach problem didn’t totally end.”
His manager and long-time friend Paradzai “Sekuru Para” Makosa was initially not keen to comment on the matter describing it as “something out of his job description”, but later said: “What happened two years ago is really a family issue. I am not a doctor, but I believe many factors also led to his current situation.
He is being treated for gastritis and some of the causes are actually stress related. Losing employment surely could have contributed, among other factors.”
“Ideally lack of a steady income, having no medical insurance, change of environment could have caused this. Finally, family disputes that occurred in 2019 also dampened things and he takes all the blame. On the positive side, the free unpolluted air in the countryside is helping with the healing.”
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