‘Kayayoo changed everything' - Gaugatete recounts comeback after eight-year illness

Veteran Ghanaian actress Gaugatete has opened up about how the movie Kayayoo revived her acting career after an eight-year battle with a mysterious illness that forced her away from the movie industry.

Speaking on UCook with Empress Gifty, the actress revealed that she fell seriously ill after starring in Osofo Dadzie’s Cantata, spending six months in the emergency ward as doctors struggled to determine what was wrong with her.

“After Osofo Dadzie’s Cantata, I got sick for about eight years. I was in the emergency ward for six months. Doctors could not identify what was wrong with me,” she recalled.

Gaugatete explained that before her illness, she had helped usher some actors, including Kyeiwaaa, into the industry, but by the time she recovered, they had become household names while she had been forgotten.

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“During my time on Cantata, I was the one who took in Kyeiwaaa and the others, but after my return they had become hot cakes, and I had been away for a long time, so a lot of people had forgotten about me. Nobody remembered me, nobody knew me,” she said.

Determined to make a comeback, the actress said she approached the producer behind Nyankonton Films and begged him to cast her in just one movie. However, he was hesitant because films without stars like Kyeiwaaa or Agya Koo were difficult to sell.

“I ran to him to beg him to use me for just one movie… he said okay, but I knew he wasn’t going to do it, so I went to see his wife instead,” she narrated.

According to Gaugatete, the producer’s wife, actress Elorm Aba took pity on her and convinced her husband to give her a role in Kayayoo, where she starred alongside Agya Koo.

“The role I played was supposed to be for Kyeiwaaa. The man told me I was going to let him down if I didn’t put in my best. Because I knew what was at stake, I made sure to put in my best,” she said.

She disclosed that it was during filming that Agya Koo coined the name that has since become her identity.

“While we were shooting, Agya Koo was marvelled by my dedication and shouted, ‘Eii Akua Gaugatete,’ adding ‘Gatete’ to the name. That is how I became Gaugatete,” she recounted.

Following the production, the actress said she sought divine intervention by embarking on a 21-day fasting and prayer session, hoping the film would be successful.

“After the shoot, I went to the mountains to do a 21-day fasting and prayer session for the success of the movie. Thankfully, the movie became a success, and that is how producers started looking my way again,” Gaugatete added.

Kayayo was the movie that brought me into the limelight – Gaugatete#UCOOK #UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/8XqCvW1RIL

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) August 30, 2026