Belinda Effah

EARLY LIFE

Belinda Effah was born Uyu Effah on 14 December 1984 in Cross River State, Nigeria. She is the daughter of Lieutenant Commander Asido Bassey Effah of the Nigerian Navy. She attended Hillside International Nursery & Primary School for primary education and Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Port Harcourt for secondary education. She later studied Genetics and Bio-Technology at the University of Calabar. She adopted the first name “Belinda” during secondary school on the suggestion of her brother.

PERSONAL LIFE

In 2016, Belinda gave birth to a son in the United States; she has kept the identity of the child’s father private. On 15 August 2020, she had a profound spiritual encounter that led her to change her name to Grace-Charis Bassey in 2021 (Charis is Greek for “grace”). She now prefers to be addressed by her new name. She has one child.

CAREER

Belinda Effah made her acting debut in 2005 with the TV series Shallow Waters and The Room. She gained wider recognition after finishing 5th (without eviction) on the reality show Next Movie Star. She worked as a presenter on Sound City and later hosted her own show, Lunch Break with Belinda. She has featured in numerous Nollywood films and TV series, including: Tales of Eve (2011) – Simi Kokomma (2012) – Kokomma Alan Poza (2012) – Bunmi Lonely Hearts (2012) – Aima After the Proposal (2014) – Oyinye Udeme Mmi (2014) – Ima Apaye (2014) – Young Yepayeye

Belinda (Grace-Charis) has won six awards, including: Most Promising Act of the Year at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards (2013) for Udeme Mmi Most Promising Act (Female) at the 2012 Best of Nollywood Awards for Kokomma Best New Actress at the 2012 Golden Icons Academy Awards Best Rising Star at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards