Former BBA contest JJ near distitute

JJ falls on hard times

JJ (Jerome Arab) made a name for himself on reality Television show, Big Brother African and stayed all the way to the last day in the BBA house but unlike the likes of Pokello and Munya Chidzonga who have capitalised on the newly found fame, JJ is depressed and has become suicidal.

“The truth is that I am broke and going through a rough patch,” he said but there is more.

It appears being on Big Brother has piled pressure on JJ to make something of his life. Everyone looks at him as a continental television personality but the fact is he is just an ordinary unemployed Zimbabwean struggling to make ends meet.

“I am a pedestrian, I didn’t win the jackpot and I am probably poorer than I was before BBA,” JJ admitted. The stress has now him going for counselling sessions to avoid falling into a depression.

“So many things are piling in my life and it doesn’t seem like there is an immediate solution for me. It stressed me so much I had to go for a psychological analysis. Below is an interview he had with Chipo Sabeta(CS as he opened up about the storms in his life.

CS:HI JJ HOW ARE YOU?

JJ:Hi sisters, it’s been long and not rosy. Before I say much, people think life on TV is amazing but I want you to tell them that is neither real no rosy.

CS:WHY?

JJ:There is so much I want to do and I am funding everything from my pocket. I am also looking after my granny,my mum and daddy will be coming back for my sister’s wedding and they want my help as well. They are in Zambia. The truth is that I am broke and going through a bad patch.

CS:WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM

JJ:Of course, everyone , everyone in the country is going through the same challenges but I feel my situation is complex, I am an entertainer and the industry in Zimbabwe is not paying.

I tried everything but nothing came up. I have a Diploma in Media and And television studies but I have not used that certificate since I obtained it. I tried recording but nothing is paying. SO many things are piling in my life and it doesn’t seem like there is an immediate solution for me. It stressed me so much that I had to go for a psychological analysis.

CS:HOW DID THAT GO?

JJ: I was scared to go there for the first time. The first session was intense. The process they give you a book and things to fill out.

I had started losing weight and my friend referred me there to a psychologist. They must have got me on a bad day and started questioning me on little things. To cut the long story short, they then referred me to South African for rehabilitation.

CS:WHEN DO YOU START?

JJ: Today(yesterday) was my final day of counselling. The psychologist asked me how I feel since I have done so much work. I have tried everything at all cost but life has never brought me any good. I am trying music, recording, acting but there is nothing happening.

They were worried. The most stressed people are suicidal. But my handlers thought otherwise. They insist that my situation was normal and it is basically what everyone could be going through.

It’s not too serious yet. They said when its gets serious, it gets bad to the extent on self-harm, like cutting myself. They physically checked my body for signs of self harm.

It was not the case with me. That’s why they released me. Today was my final day.

CS:YOUR BRIEF BACKGROUND?

JJ: I am an adopted child, my mother gave up on me when I was two weeks old because she could not take care of me since she was only 13 years old. Her name was Natalie Hellen Hussey. I only heard about her death in 2007. I have never met my dad and I don’t know if he is alive or not. I have four sisters from my mother’s side and I have only met three of them. I am told one is in Canada.

CS: WHO ADOPTED YOU?

JJ: My parents are Yasmin and Geraldine Arab. They took care of me, schooled me and sent me to the UK when I was 17 years old. I have two sisters in my adopted family. They are in Zambia at the moment taking care of my granny.

CS:AND WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

JJ: Things were not rosy in Zimbabwe around 2008 and my parents decided to send us to the United Kingdom. We were going to stay there with my aunty(mum’s sister) but upon arrival, they only accepted my sister. They had no accommodation. My(adopted) sister got a life and she even got married.

CS;SHAME, HOW WERE YOU MANAGING THEN?

JJ: I was only 17 and life was difficult. I managed to work formally which I did for nearly a year. I had three jobs then, however upon losing my documents, everything went wrong, I could not afford paying taxes and everything was complicated because I was sleeping in gym backyards, restaurants and hospitals for the better part of my years in the UK.

However I managed to raise money to come back home. Surprisingly the migration official handed me my passport that day.

CS: HOW DID YOUR PROBLEMS START?

JJ: I think they are the largely attributed to my upbringing. Sometimes I find myself breaking down alone. I can’t face the reality of not knowing my biological parents despite the smooth upbringing my adopted parents gave me until I finished school.