Dennis Mugo alias OJ of the famous TV drama Tahidi High has a lot of regrets about how he loved his youthful life just when he had money and opportunities.
OJ has battled depression that came with his fame which then waned and sunk him into an abyss of alcoholism.
In his recently launched YouTube channel, OJ said his highhandedness cost him a strong financial standing.
OJ said that his habit of smoking and drinking that started in Form Two would become a huge part of his life and he cared less how it affected him.
“I started smoking in Form 2 and in Form 3, I started taking alcohol,” said adding “I am the perfect example of asiyefunzwa na mamaye hufunzwa na dunia.”
When he joined Tahidi High and became a star actor, corporates poached him for advertisement and brand promotion, deals that earned him millions but he spent all that in drinking and living the celebrity life.
“The habit has affected me years down the line. I’m turning 35 years but I have been hiding from the mess…I made my first million, but what did I do with it? Nothing,” he recounts.
When he looks back at what his friends have accomplished in life, he says, he feels pained because he wasted his opportunities drinking and partying.
This was the beginning of his bout with depression as reality hit him that he had messed up his life.
“I didn’t invest well because of bad habits, which till today hit me. I got to a point I fell into depression,” he opened up adding “I could cover it with alcohol, humour and cigarettes.”
He recalls that when Tahidi High was discontinued, he drank more to a point where his marriage fell apart.
His wife could not have any more of his drinking; she packed and left. He is happy though that they had a son together.
OJ now works as a communication officer with the Embu County government.
His story follows the same script as that of Angel Waruinge (Miss Morgan), Samuel Kinuthia (Omosh) and Mr Mweposi. The three in separate interviews opened up on battling depression and alcoholism.
The root cause of it all, the quartet confessed, was the celebrity mentality that came with the then-popular show.
