Sarah Ofili Talks about the Misconception that She’s Only Famous for dating Ikechukwu & Criticism on Being Sexual

Former model Sarah Ofili opens up in an exclusive interview with This Day Live about her life.

Sarah who was engaged to rapper and actor Ikechukwu in October 2011, talks about the misconception that she is only famous for dating him, the fact that she is sexual and the kind of men she is attracted to.

Read excerpts;
On what she really does other than being famous for dating rapper Ikechukwu: “In 2007, I was modelling but I didn’t really come out as a model. I was young and ambitious in my early twenties and I started by designing shoes. I wanted to be a shoe designer and my sister happened to show someone some of my samples; the person was a writer with the Guardian newspaper. Then the guys at Made magazine also called me to do a feature and it just went from there. Many people that didn’t know me then now just remember me for something else. But if they did their research, they’ll remember that before that there was a career.

And this thing about this relationship is so old. The bloggers and media really need to move on. It’s been three years, c’mon! That said, so it was the shoe designing which I had to put on hold for a while to learn more because I felt I didn’t really know much about what I was getting myself into. I went to fashion college in London and studied accessories and shoe branding. I took the time to study and also in the process find myself and be sure of exactly what I wanted to do. In the process I found my love for filming and documentaries. I’ll still love to go back to fashion eventually but this is where I am at now and I love it.”

On the type of men she is attracted to: “Over the years, I have dated different kind of people because I am very open minded. So I can’t say I am attracted to just tall guys because even though I have dated tall men, I have also dated guys that are not tall. I would say I am drawn to people’s personalities. A guy would have to win me with his personality. For sure we need to have some things in common and of course it doesn’t hurt for a guy to be charming.

Every woman loves a charming guy. You can easily win a woman’s heart if you can make her laugh. She’ll look forward to talking to that person every day. Apart from that, I like people who are well exposed to life. You have to be well travelled just as I am. To date me you have to understand the kind of life I have lived and be able to fit into it or I fit into his easily. Or at least, be willing to learn and be open-minded because I am a very open-minded person. I am a very loving person; I am the kind of person that if I love you, hey! I would do anything for you and you become my world. You also need to be someone that has good spiritual values because if you fear God you will have the right kind of boundaries.”

On being very sexual: “Yes, I am a sexual person and I am not ashamed of it and I don’t think it’s something anyone should be ashamed of. I was brought up with a western sort of mindset. I was brought up not be ashamed of myself. I know people have a lot issues when they see my profile pictures and they see me in nothing but a bikini. But they have to understand I’ve also lived abroad in countries where bikini na clot sef.

I spend a lot of my time at the beach or at the pool. I love to swim and I love the outdoors in general. I don’t think it’s my fault that Nigerian bloggers pick on those pictures and try to portray them in a bad way. This way I think they can be very hypocritical because if it was someone like Beyoncé what you’ll hear is that she is so hot but when it is a Nigerian it is portrayed negatively. Why would you criticise someone just because they don’t share your own values? We are not all the same. I am much westernised or European in the way I live my life.

As much as I am very Nigerian, I am also very Hungarian. I studied for a year in France. My apartment was next to the beach and every day I wore a bikini because it was normal. But Nigerian bloggers would scream ‘Ashawo!’ People in the media should understand the power they possess and how to use it in a balanced way.”

Her tips for men on how to treat a woman: “What I would say is to treat a woman the way you would love another person to treat your mother or your sister. If you have that at the back of your mind, then I don’t think you would get it wrong. A lot of men seem to think it’s OK to be disrespectful to women. You should treat your woman like she’s your world because women do way more than they get credit for. The woman goes through a lot to take care of the home and nurture the children. A woman is the backbone of the family.”

To read the full interview, pick up the new issue of This Day Newspaper.