Uzor Arukwe has addressed rumours linking him romantically with actress BamBam, stating that he maintains clear professional boundaries when performing romantic scenes with female colleagues.
Speaking in an interview on BBC Igbo, the Nollywood actor dismissed the speculation as “baseless,” explaining that he always seeks consent from his co-stars, especially those who are married, before filming intimate scenes.
Arukwe had earlier reacted strongly to a social media claim alleging that he impregnated BamBam, describing the rumour as false and harmful. He also threatened to make an X user a “scapegoat” for spreading the allegation, which he said created tension between BamBam and her husband, Teddy A.
Reflecting on the situation, the actor noted that this was not the first time he had been romantically linked to a co-star. He recalled that similar rumours previously circulated about him and actress Bimbo Ademoye.
Despite the gossip, Arukwe said such speculation would not stop him from delivering believable performances on screen.
According to him, he first met BamBam on the set of Love in Every Word part one, although he was already familiar with her from her time on Big Brother Naija.
“Shooting part one of ‘Love in Every Word’ was the first time I was seeing BamBam. Of course, I watched her during her BBN days. Before the rumours about me and BamBam, there were similar rumours about me and Bimbo Ademoye,” he said.
“It is just work and we have to do what we have to do. If you give me Aunty Shaffy (Shaffy Bello) now or Mo Abudu, my job is to make sure it is believable.
“What I often do before filming starts is meet my female colleague and ask, ‘How far is too far for you? If I touch you in certain places, would your husband be angry?’ I ask this because I do not want to go beyond the bounds of decency.”
Arukwe explained that he decided to publicly address the rumours because he was concerned about the potential impact on BamBam’s marriage.
“This is not my first time acting in such romantic movies, but the one that got to me was when they said I impregnated a lady. That was when I came out to debunk it because the person was spreading a false narrative,” he added.
“It was not really a matter of concern to me because all those claims were lies. I was worried for BamBam and Teddy A, actually, but I knew they would eventually grow past it.”
The speculation began shortly after the release of Love In Every Word, a film by Omoni Oboli in which Arukwe and BamBam played romantic leads, earning the on-screen nicknames “Odogwu” and “Achalugo” among fans.
