Adorable Adaora Oleh is a regular on our television screens. Where she’s either anchoring one event or presenting one show. The delectable dazzler unveiled some aspects of her in this interview with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine…
Tell us about your experience with the new Project Fame contestants.
It feels amazing to be back, hosting the show again. I’m always so excited to meet the new contestants coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and of course, Nigeria. It’s like one big West African family reunion.
Four years on, what has been your greatest achievement on the show and what has been sustaining you?
I’d have to say having the opportunity to entertain so many people in their homes through television, across West Africa, is an absolute blessing. I feel very fortunate to be doing what I love. So, I’d say it’s definitely that passion and fortitude that sustain me.
Tell us about your American experience and how you have been able to correspond and contribute to Fox News and In Touch Magazine respectively?
It’s been absolutely amazing! Being in New York, reporting live on one of the biggest news channels in the world, is something that I’m very proud of. Entertainment News is of course very different from hosting a music reality TV show. The environment is fast, furious and intense. I learnt that covering the latest breaking entertainment news or hard hitting investigations is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a real adrenaline rush and I enjoy every minute. Just before I came back to host Project Fame, I appeared on the Geraldo Rivera Show in New York, reporting back on the events of the day at the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee. I loved it and seeing my name in Touch Magazine was beyond exciting!
What are some of the secrets of good television presenting?
I think to be a good television presenter, you need to be passionate about the industry, enjoy television and be a genuine people-person. It’s important to allow your audience to get a glimpse of who you are and your own unique style whilst simultaneously letting your passion and enthusiasm for the job shine through as well.
When you started this, what goals did you set for yourself?
To be the very best I can be (with God’s guidance) and never quit.
Have you been able to achieve those goals?
(Smiling) I’m working hard, so I can only hope and pray that it pays off.
What are some of the disadvantages of being a celebrity?
All in all, life is good and I don’t have much to complain about. However, being a celebrity sometimes means that you are always in focus, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it.
Tell us about the most exciting work-related moment you have had so far?
Gosh! There have been so many. After I registered my own TV production company, Chiad TV Productions and we co-produced two TV shows, one of which was a two hour live interactive show and the other a music chart show, we also hosted and managed corporate events, which Chiad Productions still continues to do. Some of the shows that we have been involved in include: The Nigerian Music Awards in London, Miss Nigeria UK, The Ghana Professional Awards, The Nigerian Institute of Accountants Awards. We have also worked with the Prince’s Trust (Prince Charles’ official charity) and the MOBO Music Awards in the UK. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hosting the London leg of the ThisDay Arise Music and Fashion Festival; hosting alongside Trevor Nelson, MBE at the Royal Albert Hall, which was absolutely fantastic! I’m not crowd-phobic. I really enjoy what I do. I regard myself as a people person. My earliest memory of hosting a big crowd was when I hosted the Nigerian Music Awards in London with Soni Irabor. The crowd was encouraging, very energetic and lively, which made my job easy. So, it was a great first experience. Also I have hosted alongside Olisa Adibua at the Ovation Red Carol. Getting the opportunity to host the red carpet for the Governor’s Ball and grand finale for M Net’s Face of Africa, held in Lagos, was a lot of fun. I’d say all of these were defintely exciting for me.
What are those things that most people don’t know about Adoara?
I love to cook.
You always dazzle on set. What are your beauty routines?
Thank you. In addition to watching what I eat and drinking a lot of water, I enjoy working out and the odd oxygen facial.
What is your take on the assumption that most successful female journalists always find it difficult to replicate that in their marriages?
Hmm! I’m not sure if that is true. If we are going on assumptions, then assumptions are not always factual and a lot of times are not true. I think that there are a lot of successful female journalists who do a fantastic job of balancing both their careers and family lives.
Are you afraid of giving marriage a shot?
Absolutely not! When the time is right, I’ll definitely get married.
What is the craziest thing a fan has ever done to you?
I once received 30 different love poems in one day from a fan. That was pretty crazy.
NB: First published December 2013