The actress, who was born in Benin City, Nigeria, before moving to Canada at 16, said the racism she suffered was traumatising for her because it came from “within”.

She disclosed this in a recent interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo.

The host, Chude, asked: “You talked about wanting to bleach your skin because when you grow up people would call me a monkey (sic). [Did] this literally happen?”

Osifo replied: “Yeah. It happens absolutely. And it happens from your shade too, you know. So, that’s why it’s even more of a weird thing.”

“I always feel that those who get bullied, don’t get bullied by outsiders. It’s from within. Because if somebody else says it, you may not care but if somebody who is around you, who you are always kinda seeing every other day says it, it hurts more.”

This was when I was a teenager in Canada. The positive aspect of moving [back] to Nigeria, was seeing more of individuals who look just like me” the actress said.

Linda Osifo added that, relocating to Nigeria made her appreciate herself more.

The actress, on her Instagram page, said she was bullied as a child because of her tribal marks and this made her consider undergoing surgery to remove them.

According to her, “while in elementary school in Canada, I remember being made fun of because of my tribal marks and asked if I got scratched by lions in Africa.”

Although she felt it made her ugly at the time, she said she has now come to realise the marks make her unique.

“…I did not understand why I had it in the first place! Now that I’m all grown and wise, I’ve come to realise how beautiful and unique it sure makes me look.

“True beauty does not come from physical attributes, it comes from what is within. Here’s to the tribal mark gang,” she added.

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A post shared by LINDA OSIFO? (@lindaosifo)

Many people, who commented on the post, praised the actress’ beauty and her decision to keep her tribal maks.

Others also opened up about their insecurity with their tribal marks when growing up.

“I was feeling insecure about mine initially because it contradicts my look. Fast forward to this time, I’ve fully accepted it and people barely see it on my face,” one user wrote.