{
  "id": 3081812,
  "title": "I missed a big opportunity, Bunmi Nelson regrets ignoring Funke Akindele",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/i-missed-a-big-opportunity-bunmi-nelson-regrets-ignoring-funke-3081812",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T18:34:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/i-missed-a-big-opportunity-bunmi-nelson-regrets-ignoring-funke-akindele/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigerian actress Bunmi Nelson has expressed regret over failing to support fellow actress Funke Akindele when Akindele was just beginning her career. During an interview with biola Adebayo on the Talk to B podcast, Nelson revealed that she overlooked opportunities to help Akindele, even as she regretted her decision later. \"If I knew Funke would go far like this, I would have held her tight,\" Nelson said. She advised against underestimating others, emphasizing that circumstances can change. Nelson recalled Akindele's approach to her in 2006, after learning that she could use her house as a filming location. Despite Nelson regularly giving filmmakers access to her home during her soap opera days, she failed to recognize her opportunity. She admitted to ignoring Akindele's calls, saying, \"The mistake I now made was I just felt… she will be calling me then, I will just ignore.\" Nelson believed she missed a big opportunity because the film industry was not as crowded as it is today. She added that Akindele had encouraged people to join the Yoruba movie industry during that period. \"I missed that big opportunity in 2006 and 2007 because she was telling them to join the Yoruba movie industry,\" Nelson said. Looking back, Nelson said the experience taught her the importance of humility.",
  "summary": "Actress Bunmi Nelson expresses regret over missing a big opportunity by ignoring Funke Akindele’s calls early in her career. Learn from her experience. Read More: https://punchng.com/i-missed-a-big-opportunity-bunmi-nelson-regrets-ignoring-funke-akindele/",
  "key_points": [
    "Bunmi Nelson regrets ignoring Funke Akindele's career start in 2006-2007",
    "Nelson failed to support Akindele despite giving filmmakers access to her home",
    "Lesson learned: humility and recognizing opportunities"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "I didn’t know she would go far – Bunmi Nelson regrets looking down on Funke Akindele [VIDEO]",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/i-didnt-know-she-would-go-far-bunmi-nelson-regrets-looking-down-on",
        "published": "2026-08-24T15:58:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "I missed a big opportunity, Bunmi Nelson regrets ignoring Funke Akindele",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/i-missed-a-big-opportunity-bunmi-nelson-regrets-ignoring-funke",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:00:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}