After keeping her daughter’s identity secret for over two decades, Nollywood star Kate Henshaw, on Monday afternoon, shared a rare photo of both of them.
Unlike her colleague, Genevieve Nnaji, who has managed to keep her only child Theodora away from the public’s prying eyes, Henshaw’s move has earned her admiration.
Gabrielle, 23, is the product of a marriage between Henshaw and her former husband, Roderick James Nuttal.
Henshaw and Mr Nuttal tied the knot in 1999, while their daughter was welcomed the following year.
It came as a pleasant shock to the fans of the actress when she posted a photograph of herself and the young Gabrielle on Instagram on Monday.
Not much is known about her daughter, though some say she lives in the UK, where her father is based.
In 2011, to the dismay of her fans, Henshaw announced that they were getting divorced, although she didn’t give reasons.
Since her divorce, Henshaw has not been known to be romantically linked to anyone, at least not publicly.
Besides having a Nubian tone while her daughter has light skin, many Instagram users opined that their resemblance was uncanny.
Although Henshaw, a fitness buff, did not say why she celebrated Gabrielle, she described herself as a proud mum.
So proud of you, dearie. May your light keep shining brighter and brighter,” she wrote on her Instagram page with over two million followers.
The duo wore white outfits and sported an afro hairdo, highlighting their resemblance.
The actress’ colleagues, including the likes of Funke Akindele, Ivie Okujaye, Ufuoma McDermott, Mo Abudu, VJ Adams, Dakore Akande and others, have been fawning over the photographs of the mother and daughter.
Kate Henshaw
The award-winning actress studied Medical Microbiology at the School of Medical Lab Science at Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
Before becoming an actress, Henshaw worked as a model, featuring in various commercials, including a print and television advert for Shield deodorant.
She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the movie ‘Stronger than Pain’ in 2008.
In 2011, Henshaw was honoured by the Nigerian federal government as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
She has acted in many acclaimed movies, including ‘Chief Daddy’, ‘New Money’, ‘The Ghost and the House of Truth’, ‘4th Republic’, ‘The Women’ and ‘Blood Sisters’.
Also a politician, the veteran actress, in 2014, aspired to represent the Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal constituency under the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) but lost the primaries.
