Mercy Eke has spoken of how she had to sell maize and diesel in order to survive.

This was revealed by the reality TV personality during one of the closed panel sessions at the 8th edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference (#NECLive8), which took place on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

“Sometimes it gets me very emotional to see how far I’ve come from where I started, from selling corn to fuel, to a lot of other businesses I did before. I’m very proud of myself, and I know that there are a lot of people looking up to me,” she said.

She went on to discuss the difficulties she faced growing up in a family of six and auditioning for BBNaija four times.

“I auditioned four times before I got into the Big Brother House, but somehow I won the show, and I won the hearts of Nigerians and Africans. I work for everything I own today, maybe I’m not ‘blessed’ enough for people to just give me things for free. I can look back at my journey with pride, in spite of my rough childhood.

“I grew up in a family of 6, but somehow I was able to complete my tertiary education. I’m very proud of myself, and I know that there are a lot of people looking up to me. Where I am today is through my hard work. I didn’t just win and rest on my oars, because I know that my journey has just started.”