Nigerian actress Rita Dominic, has revealed that she took a sabbatical from acting to become a caregiver in the early 2000s.

According to her, she was dealing with some personal issues at the time and needed to take a break.

As a result, Rita Dominic disclosed at the 2024 Women of Valour Conference in Accra, that she moved to London, a completely new place and started working as a caregiver.

The actress said that while some might view her job as a caregiver as a “step-down” from the life of an actress, she found fulfilment in that job.

“In 2001/2002 I stopped acting. I left the [movie] industry and moved to London because it was a very dark period in my life. I fell out with some friends I considered family. And I just gave up acting for a while. I needed to get out of that space for a minute.”

Rita Dominic explained that at the time she had lost her mother and her siblings had also moved to London. 

So, she was all alone in Nigeria and waiting months to get an acting job was a struggle. “I found myself losing faith in the slow growth of Nollywood.”

“And then I moved to London and gave up stardom. You won’t believe this, this is something I’ve never told people before. While in London, I was trying to make ends meet so I started working in a care home as a caregiver for adults with special needs. While some might view it as a step-down, I don’t. Taking care of others brought me joy and purpose at a time I needed it most.”

Decades later, Rita Dominic is regarded as one of the best actresses in Nollywood.

In 1998, she starred in her first movie, A Time to Kill and went on to star in many others in subsequent years, including Blood Sisters, Light in the Dark, True Lies, The Meeting and Desecration.

Rita Dominic has also ventured into production after earning acclaim as one of Nollywood's finest actresses for decades. She has helmed various projects, including "The Therapist," "Light in the Dark," "Bound," "The Blindspot," and "Desecration."