PICTORIAL: Ex-Nollywood star Grace Bassey announces engagement

Former Nollywood actress and United States Navy officer Grace-Charis Bassey Effah has announced her engagement to her partner.

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Bassey shared the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday, accompanied by photos of herself and her fiancé. Although she did not reveal his identity, she showed off her engagement ring in the pictures.

Announcing the engagement, she wrote, “Answered prayers. Age is just a number. Found someone worth calling life with, beyond blessed.”

In another post, she added, “It feels like a dream but when true love finds you, you melt.”

The engagement marks a new chapter for Bassey, who left Nollywood in 2025 to pursue a military career in the United States.

She enlisted in the United States Navy in May 2025 and later graduated from the Navy boot camp. She also became a US citizen after taking the oath of allegiance.

Bassey dedicated the milestone to her late father, Asido Bassey Effah, a retired naval commander.

The actress had earlier explained that she left the movie industry because she no longer found fulfilment in acting. She also revealed that joining the US Navy had been a lifelong dream, having attended the Nigerian Navy Secondary School in Port Harcourt and grown up in a military family.

Bassey made her Nollywood debut in the 2005 television series Shallow Waters before taking part in the reality show Next Movie Star.

During her acting career, she won several awards, including the Most Promising Actor of the Year prize at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

In 2021, she announced that she had changed her name from Belinda to Grace-Charis after what she described as a divine encounter, saying the decision was influenced by the meaning of her former name.

Hannah Johnson is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over three years of professional experience in reporting, storytelling, and digital content creation. She blends traditional reporting skills with a modern, digital-first approach to journalism, producing content tailored for both web and social platforms. Hannah is skilled at turning complex topics into clear, engaging, and relatable stories that resonate with a wide audience. Her work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, audience-focused journalism.