Veteran actors Gloria and Norbert Young have talked about their own struggles with childlessness over the past seven years.
Gloria talked candidly about the emotional toll it took on her in an interview with Tope on Love Notes, while Norbert said he never considered it a problem.
Recalling a similar circumstance in which his sister waited sixteen years for a kid, Norbert commended her spouse for supporting her. He made it clear that their marriage was never in danger because of their battle with childlessness.
Gloria said, “I was childless for seven years, Norbert,” in response to a question concerning the difficulties in their relationship.
Norbert said:
“I didn’t see it as a challenge, you see, because I kept telling her, ‘What are you worried about? What is it? Be calming down.
“How can I see it as a challenge? I had a sister who was married for 16 years without a child, and on the 17th year, she had a child.
“Her husband never told her to leave. That child today is a medical doctor—a big man too. So what’s the big deal? It didn’t threaten our union at all.”
Gloria said:
“He never did. But I was the one feeling it, and I was the one seeing things. And he was the one telling me, ‘What is it? Stop worrying about such things.’ However, nobody in his family ever asked about it but they did in my family.”
Norbert confirmed her anxiety, saying, “She was anxious about it—being childless for that long. Like I said, it wasn’t a challenge for me, but it was for her. As a couple, it was challenging, but personally, I didn’t see it that way.”
Gloria, however, shared her anxiety and the societal pressure she faced, particularly from relatives who would stare at her stomach during family gatherings, silently inquiring about her childlessness. She said:
“I would go to my own family gatherings, and not asking per se, but imagine you’re walking into the room, and one aunty looks at you—makes sure that you know she’s looking at you—then her eyes go down to your stomach.
“And as you walk away, her eyes are still there. What is she telling you? Like, ‘How far na? E don tey oh! E don pass one, two, three…’ Without saying a word. Oh, I had that kind of auntie.”
The lovebirds tied the knot in April, 2002 and the union is blessed with a daughter.
