Ugandan singer Grace Nakimera has opened up about why her first marriage to her Norwegian partner, Andre Ringen, ended, saying their different visions for the future contributed to their separation.
Nakimera revealed that she had a wonderful marriage with Ringen and that the couple welcomed a daughter together. However, despite their relationship and family, they eventually went their separate ways and chose to move on with their lives while continuing to raise their daughter.
“I had a wonderful marriage and I had a child with my husband but at some point we separated. I moved on with my life and he moved on with his as well. We raised a very beautiful daughter. We both moved on,” she said.
The singer explained that she is a big dreamer who tends to envision a long-term future with her partner, including building a family and growing together over decades. However, she felt that Ringen did not share the same vision or ambition for their future.
“I’m the kind of person who is a very big dreamer. That means when I see myself with you, I see the future 20, 30 years from now, grandchildren; I visualize all that. I was seeing afar but he was not,” Nakimera said.
She also suggested that while Ringen was attracted to her public image as a star, there was a difference between appreciating her glamour and being committed to building the future she envisioned.
“And then there was this glamour about me that he liked. This Grace; the star but not the dreams we had to put in place,” she explained.
Nakimera said the lack of progress towards building something meaningful together eventually became emotionally draining, contributing to the breakdown of the marriage. She noted that many people do not end up with their first partners because relationships can change despite the expectations couples have at the beginning.
“Sometimes you want to build something with your partner and when you get to a certain age and there is nothing going on, it is very draining and you lose it,” she said.