Content creator, Elizabeth Amadu, popularly known as Jarvis, has opened up about her difficult childhood, financial struggles, TikTok journey and how she met her partner, Peller.
Jarvis, while recounting her upbringing, revealed that she grew up with her grandparents after being raised in a turbulent home environment.
According to her, her mother lives with bipolar disorder, which made her childhood stressful and, at times, traumatic.
“I was already exhausted. Grandpa was sick, and I came into a family through a mother who has bipolar disorder.
“Growing up with her was very stressful and depressing because sometimes the disorder could be extreme.
“Today, she would be nice and good; the next minute, she could become violent, destroy things and insult us. She would say things like, ‘Oh, you stupid child. What are you doing here? Your father is mad,’” she said.
Jarvis also revealed that she grew up without knowing her biological father.
She said her mother travelled out of Nigeria, became pregnant and returned to the country where she gave birth to her.
“I didn’t grow up with my dad because I don’t know who my dad is. So, I don’t know anything about my father. But she would keep saying, ‘Oh, your dad is this, your dad is that.’
“Growing up without a dad was not easy, especially because my mum was not mentally stable,” she added.
She, however, credited her grandparents for giving her the discipline and guidance that helped shape her life.
“I grew up with my grandma and grandpa, and they did their best to raise me well. They were very educated and strict. That strictness was what tamed me, and I appreciate them because it really helped shape my life.”
‘We were always hungry,’ she recalled.
Jarvis further recounted the financial difficulties she and her sister experienced while growing up, saying there were periods when they struggled to pay their school fees and often went hungry.
She said she was determined not to drop out of school or resort to questionable means of making money despite pressure from peers.
According to her, a friend she met on TikTok eventually introduced her to live streaming as a way of earning money.
“I was like, ‘How?’ So, the first day I tried it with my sister, I had about 200 views and made $5. I was like, ‘Wow!’
“Because we were always hungry, we would go on TikTok and watch food videos just to feel satisfied. We would salivate and, at the end of the day, cry and pray, saying, ‘God, please help us.’
“But when we went live and saw that we had made five dollars, we were happy.”
Jarvis said she and her sister subsequently began live streaming regularly, despite opposition from their family, who viewed social media negatively.
She said their primary motivation was to raise money for their education and provide basic necessities for themselves.
On how she met Peller, the content creator also narrated how she first encountered Peller during a livestream.
According to to Jarvis, Peller initially showed interest in her sister, while she tried to direct his attention towards her sibling.
“I met Peller on a livestream. He was wooing my sister. He was also liking me, but I was like, ‘Bro, don’t talk to me. Talk to my sister. You and her would have that connection.’”
She said her shyness, fear of her family’s reaction and the age difference between them initially made her reluctant to entertain his advances.
“I was just thinking, ‘Okay, you’re my sister’s type.’ But this young man didn’t want to relent.”
Jarvis said she initially viewed their interaction strictly as an opportunity to create content and have fun, without expecting their relationship to develop further.
“For me, it was simply, ‘Let’s create content and have fun. Dey your dey, let me dey my dey. If we meet in front, we’ll just be friends.’
“I never expected all of this to become reality.”