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| Adenrele Olufemi Edun |
"I think when that time comes, I will marry. I have been into many
relationships. I have dated girls who would want to do anything I tell
them. I want a woman who can hold her own. I don’t want a woman who
cannot make dialogue with me. I don’t want a woman who will want to
change me because she should already know who Denrele is. I don’t want
to hear, “my father said you cannot dress like that” I will be like,
“Oya, come and carry your witch and go. And return me my bride price
before you go”. I want a woman who is not pretentious, hypocritical or a
fame seeker. I want someone who is original. I want somebody I can go
to the salon together (with) to make our hair; who wouldn’t mind if
people are talking. I love a woman that can wear heels. It may sound
flimsy. I love girls on heels. This is why I have always had a thing for
models. If my wife cannot wear heels..."-Denrele Edun
Nigerian TV presenter for Channel O, had a nice chat with NEWTON-RAY UKWUOMA where he said so many things about his career, relationship and challenges, among others. Scroll down and read it all below:
Let’s talk about your hair. You have different colours all the time. What inspired this one you are wearing?My
favourite colour is red. I have always dyed my hair red right from
time. I have many pictures of it. I think I have maltreated my natural
hair so much that it has almost fallen off.
Is this your real hair?Yes.
Can I touch it?Yes you can. It’s my real hair, because I paid for it.
You once said you lied a lot when you were a child. Do you still lie now?No,
I don’t. I did not like the cane when I was a child. So, I reasoned it
would be best to lie myself out of every situation. Then, when I lied,
you would even begin to pity me. But now, I say it as it is. I come out
plain and simple; even when situations require that I lie to save
myself, I just don’t. I think I’ve outgrown it.
How old are you?I
am 31. I was born on the 13th of June. (Flip) the numbers 13; that’s my
age. I’m sure I don’t look it. It’s good. I can get away with anything.
I’m sure the right people have started asking the right question. When are you planning on settling down?Everybody,
in fact, is asking me that question o. And I remember back then I would
say when I am 30 I would marry. But now, I have passed 30. Linda Ikeji
and I were talking marriage last week. She said I still have to get my
life together. You know, my life is scattered. I am here and there. I
don’t think I can find a woman that can cope [with that].
Does it mean you are not in a relationship?I am not dating anybody for now. I am single and searching.
I’m sure some people are reading this right now. Eh!
My people, make una come put ring o! My mother has been mounting
pressure. My father has been telling me. My uncle, my grandmother,
everyone wan make I marry.
Why haven’t you found the right person yet?I
think when that time comes, I will marry. I have been into many
relationships. I have dated girls who would want to do anything I tell
them. I want a woman who can hold her own. I don’t want a woman who
cannot make dialogue with me. I don’t want a woman who will want to
change me because she should already know who Denrele is. I don’t want
to hear, “my father said you cannot dress like that” I will be like,
“Oya, come and carry your witch and go. And return me my bride price
before you go”. I want a woman who is not pretentious, hypocritical or a
fame seeker. I want someone who is original. I want somebody I can go
to the salon together (with) to make our hair; who wouldn’t mind if
people are talking. I love a woman that can wear heels. It may sound
flimsy. I love girls on heels. This is why I have always had a thing for
models. If my wife cannot wear heels...
You wear heels yourself sometimes.Yes, I wear heels. There is something about heels that gives a woman extra elegance.
Here you are talking about marriage, while people have described you as gay. What do you have to say?I’m
aware of it. In fact, a lot of people have come with different
terminologies for my sexual preference. They have labelled me
homosexual, heterosexual. Some have said I am bi-sexual, asexual. I
think I am a sexual outlaw; that is the best way to describe it. Am I
gay? I am a sexual outlaw. Gbam!
What does that mean?I
don’t know. I don’t even know what my sexual preference is. The media
have blown my sexuality out of proportion. Maybe it is because I am
feminine in nature, or because I look like my mother or because of the
way I dress. My clothes are the reflection of my personality, but people
use it to judge my sexual preference. And if people want to continually
judge me because of my dressing, they should go ahead.
Does it mean you are not gay?People
can say what they like. You know, this can be a mystery. If people keep
pondering on it, it will remain a mystery. If I give the answer now,
una no go dey wonder about anything. Make una dey ponder dey go.
Are you using this to keep the attention on yourself?Not
quite; it’s just for the fun of it, really. I am not one of those
people who would want to deliberate on people’s sexual preference. I
really cannot be bothered about things like that. But it is so funny how
people have made a big deal out of it. It’s not about attention.
Otherwise, I would have been suing this or that newspaper for saying
this or that thing about me. I really can’t be bothered.
People love you, some hate you and others don’t even understand you. How do you feel about these things? I
am the one sitting in front of you. I am alive and well. Over time,
they should have realised that I no send. It’s not that I am not
grateful. I am grateful to critics. I am grateful to people who love my
originality. I am grateful to people who hate my guts. I don’t like to
use the word, but haters are like confused admirers. They cannot
understand why everybody likes you. And they cannot bring themselves to
like you. They either will not like you because they do not understand
why you are doing something they should have done, or why you are
getting away with doing it. It’s funny. I think the people who do not
understand the essence of Denrele are the ones who do cyber bullying. If
you have noticed, when someone insults me, I retweet it because it’s a
sort of compliment. I am not a hypocrite that will be retweeting only
good things about me. I want people to know that I too get insulted and
abused and that I take it in good stride. For me, I have also realised
that my target audience is not only the teenage group, but also older
people, like grandmas and grandpas. My brand cuts across to everyone.
Is Denrele a role model?I
don’t know if I have attained the position of a role model yet. But I
think I stand for originality. I think I have a voice. I can speak my
mind without conforming. I think that can be emulated.
What is the worst thing that has happened to you for being who you are?I
think it is the scandals. And I can handle scandals well but people
have fabricated so much about me. They say I have a child somewhere that
I have abandoned. They say I am bleaching my skin – that is even the
one they are using to chase me up and down. If only people can see me
when I wake up in the morning, then they will know whether I am
bleaching or not.
Would you like to clear the air on that?Of
recent, I discovered my love for powder. I normally like to wear the
one that is lighter than me, so anytime I use this powder and my face
becomes fairer, people will begin to say I am bleaching. Someone
recently said to me on Twitter: ‘Denrele has bleached his destiny away’.
Another said, ‘Denrele is looking like Michael Jackson in his time of
death’. Somebody said, ‘Denrele looks like the remains of a ghastly car
crash’. This is the one that will trip you. The person said, ‘Denrele
looks like the spirit behind this recent fuel scarcity’. I thought that
was a classic one. I have received a lot from people, especially during
the period I went through the Charly Boy/Denrele saga. They said I
kissed Charly Boy and I was trying to cause problems in his matrimonial
home. Nigerians took it upon themselves to judge the freaking daylight
out of me. They tried to pull me down at any opportunity they could get.
But for where? Nothing can put me down.
Even when you were asked to respond, you did not come out straight. You were still trying to keep the suspense.You
know when you are caught up in the middle of a situation, you sometimes
give up. I felt that any explanation I will ever give will fall on deaf
ears. Because the moment that picture hit public domain, everybody came
to one conclusion: these two are dating. And whether or not it was a
photoshop feat, a publicity stunt, a controversial agenda or the real
deal, everyone decided to believe what they wanted to believe. How many
people do I want to convince? I just said to myself that I do not owe
anybody any explanations. So, let them say whatever they want to say.
You know this is a free world. Everybody has poetic licence. But I know
in my heart of heart what happened. I just decided to retain some
suspense and intrigues around it.
What really happened?You
want to really know what happened? Hmn. Heat don dey catch me for here.
It’s a long story. But we will save it for another day.
Why wouldn’t you tell me now?No comment.
Tell me the truth. What happened between you and Charly Boy?The
truth is it was not real. If it was real, there should have been
something behind it. But Charly Boy is somebody I respect in the
industry for his relevance and consistency. To answer your question,
there is nothing going on between me and Charly Boy. He is my area
father. But then the media blew it out of proportion. I think it was a
phase I had to go through.
What have you been doing lately?I’ve
been doing quite a number of things. I just came in from New Orleans
and New York, where Channel O hosted the MBA All-Star Weekend. It was
fabulous. I hosted all the MBA Africa parties. I had a wonderful time. I
met so many people. It was so amazing that everywhere we went, people
recognised us. I took so many pictures during and after the games. I
thought I would naturally blend in New York, but it seems my market don
reach there.
What is your dream car?I
like big cars. It would have been so nice to have the 2014 Ford F450
and the 2014 Mercedes Benz E-Wagon. That car is exotic. But I am a very
practical person. I can’t spend all my hard earned money on one car. I
have always been a Toyota lover. I have used all the Toyota brands. They
could take me anywhere. I had all my clothes in the booth. My car is my
mobile wardrobe because I am always dressing and changing wears on the
road. But I still love that Mercedes Benz G-Wagon.
I hear you can’t drive.I
do not drive. I am 31, but I can’t. I have a driver. That’s why I do
not want to do any sporty car. They are just for two people and I need a
roomy (big) car. If I do Porsche or Ferrari, the space wouldn’t be
enough. It will really look funny.
Why can’t you drive?I
am always on the phone, and I am always changing. If I am rushing for
an event and there is no one to drive, it’s certain I will get there
late or not properly dressed. I have never learnt how to drive. I have
always had drivers.
Can you tell us one of your weaknesses?I
think it is making empty promises. I am someone who can’t say ‘No’.
When people come to me for help, I don’t know how to tell people off. I
always try to help people sometimes to my detriment. There are so many
times I have had to reference people and they disappoint.
What is your relationship with Beverly?She is like a daughter to me. We have known each other for a long time. She is my sister’s friend. We are like family.
Source: TRIBUNE
This interview is lenghty o. He can't drive. It's better to learn driving. I'm not really a fan of Edun.
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