Nollywood actress-turned-evangelist Tonto Dikeh has addressed misconceptions about her Christian faith, revealing that her relationship with God began long before her public transformation and increased involvement in ministry.
The actress shared these details during an appearance on Real Talk With Kike, hosted by Kikelomo Atanda-Owo. She later posted the conversation on her Instagram page on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
Speaking during the interview, Tonto explained that many people mistakenly believe she gave her life to Christ around the time she became more vocal about her faith.
According to her, her spiritual journey began when she was much younger, and she had even been on the path towards becoming a pastor.
“There’s a very big misconception about when I came out to when I gave my life to Christ,” she said.
“Let’s not mistake the fact that I’ve always been in Christ, to the point where I was going to be ordained a pastor. So I knew God at 17.”
Tonto further explained that her public emergence as an evangelist should not be confused with the beginning of her relationship with God.
She described an earlier period in her life as a “pruning stage”, explaining that it was a time when God was working on her privately before she began sharing her spiritual experiences publicly.
“When I came out was not the time that I rededicated my life to God,” she said.
“That was the time when God had to take me through, so all the things I say God told me, it has to be private. It was a private praise that bettered the public announcement.”
The mother of one also recounted an experience involving a reverend who visited her fellowship. She said he witnessed what she described as healings, miracles, prophecies, and moments when God called people by their names.
According to Tonto, the experience deeply moved the reverend and gave him an opportunity to witness what was happening during the fellowship.
Concluding her remarks, the evangelist stressed the importance of helping people maintain their connection with God rather than making them feel distant from Him.
“The worst thing anybody can do to this generation is make them feel they are far from God.”
Her comments have once again drawn attention to her spiritual journey, with the actress emphasising that her faith did not begin when she started speaking publicly about her Christian beliefs.