BBNaija 2020: Erica Biography and Childhood Story – From Grass to Grace

Erica Nlewedim is a Nollywood actress and a model. She is currently a contestant and housemate at the 2020 season 5 Big Brother Naija Reality TV Show. She is very beautiful and talented. She was born on 13th March 1994 in Lagos in the south western part of Nigeria. She is currently 26 years old.

Erica was born in Nigeria but she also stayed in London while studying screen acting at the Met Film School in the United Kingdom. She currently lives in Lagos with her family. Her full name is Erica Ngozi Nlewedim. She is also an aspiring entrepreneur and loves learning new things, having fun, traveling, taking on new adventures and being true to herself.

Erica hails from Abia State in the south eastern part of Nigeria. After completing her primary school education and obtaining her First School Leaving Certificate, Erica proceeded to Command Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria for her secondary education and obtained her West Africa Senior School Certificate.

After completing her primary and secondary school education, Erica proceeded to Covenant University, one of the top Nigerian private universities located in Ota, Ogun State in the south western part of Nigeria and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management in 2013.

Erica worked in Lagos immediately after her NYSC and in 2019, she travelled to the United Kingdom to study screen acting at the prestigious London Met Film School and was trained as a professional actress. After her graduation from Met Film School in London, Erica returned back to Nigeria and participated in several blockbuster movies as a supporting character. In 2020, she was enlisted as one of the contestant of the Big Brother Naija reality TV show.

Erica was born in Lagos State to her parents Oby Nwokolo and Christian Eric Nlewedim. She is the only child of her parents. Though originally she is from Abia State, but was born and raised by her mother in Lagos State, Nigeria. Her father left her with her mother when she was just a teenager and went away. She was single handedly raised and trained by her mother.

Erica is very passionate about her career in acting. Erica during a chat with one of the housemate stated that she transited from modeling to Nollywood after participating in the 2014 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant. She also revealed that she would love to play the lead character in an action thriller film. She also expressed her admiration for female action stars Angelina Jolie.

According to her words; “My dream role would be to be the main character in an action film. I have always loved female action stars like Angelina Jolie and dreamed of acting like her. I am currently training myself to be ready whenever that role presents itself.” She stated while having a conversation with one of the housemate.

Erica also mentioned Halley Berry as the actress that has inspired her the most. The 26-year-old actress and reality TV star gushed about Halle Berry during a recent interview with the Guardian Newspaper. Erica stated during an interview that Halle Berry is one of the Hollywood actress she looks up to.

According to her words; “Halle Berry inspires me a lot because she is one of the most successful Hollywood star actress. She is versatile also. She is the first black woman to win an Oscar for best actress, she is very classy and even after so many years of acting, she is still in great form and can still take on action roles in her fifties. I admire her a lot because we have very few black female Hollywood star actress” she stated.

Erica is an ex-beauty queen who participated in the 2014 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MGBN) beauty pageant, finishing as one of the top 5. She stood out for her grace and captivating smile and easily became a fan favorite. Erica eventually won the “Most Photogenic” award at the 2014 MBGN event.

Erica’s modeling career has flourished just like her acting. Erica has modeled for different Nigerian brands and graced several billboards in the country. Some of the companies Erica has modeled for include Access Bank, Diamond Bank, Hollandia, Globacom, Jumia, Stanbic IBTC, Etisalat, Zaron Cosmetics and Peak Milk.

In a bid to take her acting career to a greater level, Erica traveled to the United Kingdom to study screen acting at Met Film School, a leading film school in the UK offering Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in courses related to acting and filmmaking.

Erica’s career as an actress is just a little over three years but she has featured in a number of good Nollywood movies such as “Hire A Woman” which is currently showing on Netflix. She has also starred in movies like Poka Messiah, My Flatmates, Paternity Deal, Being Farouk, Dead Rites, Fractured, Win or Lose, Made In Heaven, Royal Castle, Once Upon A Night and many more.

Erica has acted in about 20 Nigerian movies till date. Erica during an interview stated that her first appearance as an actress was in the 2017 Nigerian TV series “Secrets and Scandals”. Immediately she completed her NYSC, she was advised by her mother to take a job in Lagos. She later took her mother’s advice and landed a role as a Marketing Manager for MEI Oil and Gas Limited. She worked in the company for six years before travelling to London to study a course in acting.

Erica aside from acting and modeling is also an entrepreneur. She is the CEO of Beluxia Global Links, a company she started but now jointly runs with her mother.

Erica is currently single in real life, but in the Big Brother Naija House she is believed to be in a romantic relationship with fellow housemate Kiddwaya and Laycon. Erica during an interview stated that her greatest achievement is her ability to graduate from film school in London, producing her first short film with a team in Birmingham, United Kingdom and being in the Netflix movie “Hire a Woman”.

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Austine Ikeru
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