By Linda Orajekwe

Kachi and Rosie are winners of the recently held first love reality TV show in Nigeria-Ultimate Love. The pair, slugged it out with other couples in a love nest and came out 5 million Naira richer.

ROKSIE: THE ULTIMATE LOVERS

They also stand to win a house and an all-expense-paid traditional marriage if they decide to get married.

For eight weeks fans across Africa were glued to their television and mobile screen, watching every step of the couples in the house, and being a part of their joy and their pains.

Rosemary Afuwape (Rosie) and Onyekachi Ucheagwu share their story, the long walk to love.

ROSEMARY AFUWAPE (Rosie): In Search Of The Ultimate Love

Rosie

After a failed relationship that lasted for 12 years, Rosemary gave up on love until she decided to give herself another chance in the Love Pad at Ultimate love. The teacher and native of Ogun State, here, reveals how much she was willing to give people access into her life just to find love again.

You had a relationship for 12 years that made you lose your faith in love. What happened?
After my last relationship which lasted for 12 long years, I lost faith in love because it was an abusive relationship; abusive in every sense of the word, physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. But gradually, I had an understanding that love is beautiful, and it doesn’t hurt. It’s people that hurt.

With zero faith in love, why then did you go for the Ultimate Love reality tv show?
Truth is, I really just wanted to give it one more shot because I mean there wasn’t really any harm in that. I also knew I didn’t want to leave the Love Pad single, and thankfully, everything worked out perfectly. I met and fell crazily in love with the sweetest man. You know, I often wonder what would have happened if I didn’t grab the opportunity to be a part of the show. Imagine me missing out on an opportunity to experience such beautiful love.

What attracted you to Kachi in the house? Was he your ideal partner?
He was! My attraction to Kachi started out as a crush, but beyond the crush and his good looks, I also saw how much a good human being he was and thankfully, still is. I was also drawn to how kind, patient and calm he was even in his persistent pursuit of me.

Before Ultimate Love, what was your idea on finding love in unconventional ways such as this and how did the Ultimate Love change that perspective for you?

Well, if you say idea, I had no idea I would be finding love like this. I didn’t think or believe that I could find love in unconventional ways but here I am, in love through an unconventional way from Ultimate Love. You can say my trying it out has changed my mind. This unconventional way led me to find love with a wonderful man in the person of Kachi. He changed my perspective and now, I believe that indeed, you can find love through unconventional ways.

Rosie

How did your experience in your previous relationship help your relationship with Kachi?
I think when you’ve had an experience like the one I had, you kind of learn from the mistakes and try to see that they are not repeated in your future relationships. I think that’s what growth is really about; treating your experiences when things don’t work out as you planned as lessons instead of failures. I’m applying the lessons I learned from my past relationship into this one and also doing some unlearning. It’s all a process and a journey. Thankfully, I’m going through all of it with the best guy.

Describe a memorable time you had in the house with Kachi and why is it special?
Hmmm! I would say the most memorable time in the house with Kachi was when I opened up my heart to him, and told him my secret and he accepted me all the same. That is a memory I will never forget in a hurry.

Before Kachi, what was your thought on dating younger guys and how has that thought evolved since your relationship with Kachi?
It’s funny because I have never given it a thought, and that’s because ideally, I am wired to be attracted to men older than me because I feel they are more matured in handling situations, feelings and things in general. But with Kachi, I don’t even remember that he is younger because of the level of maturity he’s shown over time.

Having a public relationship in a reality TV show like Ultimate Love, what were some of the fears you had and how did you navigate your emotions and thoughts to alleviate those fears?
I’m not going to lie, the whole idea of having strangers so invested in your life was really scary, and having to go through the ups and downs of a relationship on TV with the whole continent watching isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. But I had to remind myself that I was in the show for a reason, and I kept my eyes on the goal.

Going into the Love Pad, was the end game to win no matter what or find love even without the prize and how do you feel having both?
I know this probably sounds cheesy but my main goal going into the show was to find true unconditional love. That was the ultimate prize for me. That said, a couple million in the bank doesn’t hurt, you know (Laughs). I’m just really grateful that I have both.

If you have to do something all over again in the house, what’s that one thing you’ll do differently?
I would not assume certain responsibilities. I’ll just be laid back and have any other person take up such responsibilities which would have given me much more time with my man. Also, I would have tried to pay more attention to people’s behaviour.

What has life been like after Ultimate Love and what’s the plan going forward?
Life after Ultimate Love has been up and down yet fulfilling. We are now concentrating on understanding ourselves more, growing our family and empire too.

In what ways would you say being a part of the Ultimate Love reality show prepared you for the realities of marriage?
Being cooped up in the Love Pad with nowhere to go, you’re forced to really learn about the other person. You see them at their worst and their best. It’s easy to tell if you’re going to be able to spend the rest of your life with that person. You also get to see how they handle situations, thanks to the various tasks we were assigned by Aunty.

Coming out of the house, what was your first reaction to the new reality of COVID-19?
It was a reality shock for me but thankfully, we were properly briefed and prepared for it by the organisers of the show, MultiChoice. So, we kind of knew what to expect.