“Losing my father in a car crash affected my career” – London-based Nigerian actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Award-winning British-based Nigerian actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, has recounted his experience having lost his father, Arinze, in a fatal car accident, when he was 11.

The thespian, who grew up in London after his family boarded Nigeria in the 1960s Biafran war, lost his father when the duo came to his home country, Nigeria for a wedding.

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Chiwetel and his father were driving along the motorway when a truck hit the car they were in; an accident that left him with broken bones and his father, dead.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, published on Monday, the actor stated that losing one’s parent at a young age affects how such a person views life.

Speaking about his experience, Ejiofor said:

“When you lose a parent young, it has a profound effect on the way you view life. At an early age, you realise the value of some things and the preciousness of life itself, which is something most people acquire later on.

Certain fears or neuroses you definitely carry. Some are justified but you do lose a lot of ideas about knowledge.”