My parents were so poor that I hawked to survive -Sandra Ababio

Contrary to the luxury life she is presently enjoying, Ghanaian actress Sandra Ababio says life has not been all rosy for her since she was born into abject poverty.

Telling her story on the Delay show which aired on Sunday (September 3), the actress who has featured in a number of movies such as The Rejected Maid, Obra, M’ani Daso Asa, Sorrowful Colors Of Love among others said her parents were so poor that they couldn’t afford daily meals.

She narrated how her father, who didn’t have a stable job and mother, a petty trader together with four children, were forced to move from one place to another because they couldn’t afford a decent house to rent.

The tough living conditions at the time, according to Sandra, pushed her to hawk on the streets to support the family.

She said her popularity as a hawker in the neighbourhood earned her the title of “Queen mother of tomatoes.

“We moved from one place to another until after years of struggle, we landed a single room with a small porch.

“This small porch served as a makeshift stall for the things we sold and at other times, it was our sleeping place as well.

“To contribute to the family’s income, I started hawking various groceries which earned me the nickname ‘queen mother of tomatoes’,” she said.

Sandra, who was very emotional while narrating the story also opened up on how miserable they became during rainy seasons when the roof of the single heavily leaked.

She, however, told Delay that her life was far better and in many ways worlds apart from that of that of her childhood.

She even confirmed wearing a 10,000 cedis wig when Delay asked of the price of the wig she was wearing on set.

The ‘Nipa Hu Ye Hu’ actress also expressed her sincerest appreciation to Deloris Frimpong Manso and Kwadwo Nkansah also known as Lil Win for discovering and supporting her talent.