Nigerian comedian and actress Helen Paul has opened up about the difficult period she experienced while dating her husband, Femi Bamisile, revealing that criticism from people close to him once made her doubt whether their relationship would stand the test of time.

Paul recalled that some of Bamisile’s friends and colleagues were against the relationship and advised him not to marry her.

According to her, one of his former bosses went as far as questioning Bamisile about his decision to date her, suggesting that he was capable of choosing someone else.

Paul had previously recounted the incident during an appearance on The Honest Bunch podcast, explaining that the comments affected her deeply at the time. She said the reaction from people around Bamisile made her feel inferior and caused her to question why someone like him would want to be with her.

The criticism reportedly became particularly difficult because it came from people she encountered through her professional environment. Paul recalled that her former HR manager also questioned Bamisile's choice, pointing to his appearance and profession as reasons to wonder why he had chosen her.

Rather than simply brushing off the comments, Paul said they affected her confidence during the relationship. Recent accounts of her reflection indicate that the experience became so uncomfortable that she sometimes avoided situations where she might feel compared with other women.

The doubts followed her all the way to her wedding day.

Paul said she eventually told Bamisile about her fears and admitted that she was uncertain about how long their marriage would last after hearing so much criticism from people around them.

She recalled telling him that if the marriage survived two years, she would consider it an achievement, while a lifelong union would be a sign of God's intervention.

Despite those early doubts, Helen Paul and Femi Bamisile went ahead with their marriage in 2010, and their union has continued for more than a decade. Earlier reports also confirmed their marriage and the opposition Paul said they encountered during their courtship.

Looking back, Paul said the experience ultimately taught her an important lesson about self-worth.

She explained that people's opinions can be painful, particularly when they come from people who appear influential or close to someone you love. However, she learned that allowing those opinions to define her could do more damage than the criticism itself.

For Paul, the experience became a reminder that a person's value should not be determined by how others judge their appearance, career, background or suitability for a relationship.

Her story also highlights the pressure that couples can face when friends, colleagues or other people around them become overly involved in decisions that ultimately belong to the two people in the relationship.

What once made Helen Paul question her future has, years later, become part of a story about confidence, resilience and learning not to measure personal worth through the opinions of others.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia