'I lost the mother of my kids' — Hanks Anuku opens up on pain behind his recent deliverance

• Hanks Anuku says losing the mother of his children left him emotionally shattered.

• He linked the grief to the struggles that preceded his recent deliverance.

• The actor says he now feels renewed after the prayer session.

Nollywood actor Hanks Anuku has opened up about the personal loss that he says left him emotionally shattered, tying it directly to a widely discussed deliverance session he recently underwent.

A video that circulated last week showed the actor at SMOGIM Ministries falling during a prayer session led by Apostle Leo. The clip drew attention online, coming shortly after weeks of public concern about his well-being following separate street videos.

Speaking days after the deliverance in a video shared on social media, Anuku explained that the loss of his children's mother, whom he described as someone he had intended to marry, had a lasting effect on his personal life and career. 

He said her death came sooner than he ever expected, and that the two had shared an unusually close bond built around loyalty and constant companionship.

“No one can be perfect; I got a lot of traumatic situations. First, I lost my baby mama. I wanted to marry her, but she went to the great beyond too soon,” he said

He described withdrawing from people in the aftermath, saying the grief pushed him into a period of isolation. Reflecting on that period, Anuku said he became someone he did not recognise in himself, describing it as a phase in which he felt lost before what he called a spiritual turning point brought him toward deliverance and healing.

“I wanted to become someone I had never been before. I was misled until I was struck by the Holy Spirit and brought into God’s presence for deliverance, healing, and divine comfort.” 

At 64, Anuku said the experience left him feeling noticeably different, describing a shift from feeling heavy and weighed down to feeling lighter, comparing the change to being renewed.He credited the outcome to his faith, framing the experience as something he attributes fully to divine intervention rather than any personal effort on his part.

“Before the deliverance, I felt weighed down, very heavy and uncomfortable. But now I feel as light as a feather and like a newborn baby after the prayers. I feel so much joy now. There’s laughter and dancing in me again,” he said.

The disclosure adds context to a string of recent public appearances that have fuelled concern and speculation among Nigerians, including footage of the actor appearing visibly distressed in public. 

Anuku has previously pushed back on some of that concern, insisting he remains in good health, while at other times acknowledging that he has been going through a difficult period.

Public reaction to his latest comments has reflected the wider divide seen in earlier coverage of him, with some Nigerians expressing sympathy and support for his openness about grief and mental health, while others have continued to question the circumstances surrounding his recent public appearances.

The actor's comments mark one of his more direct public explanations yet for the personal struggles that have placed him at the centre of public attention in recent weeks.

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