Rue gets real: Men want her for the fame but Akothee can’t have any of it

By Peris Wambugu | 6yrs ago | 4 min read

Young men want to date her for the fame and trappings that come with it but her celebrity mother will hear none of it; in this exclusive interview with Pulse magazine, Akothee’s daughter, Celly Rue Brown, speaks about being thrust into the limelight and the local celeb she has a crush on:

Pulse: You recently called your mother a bi**h in one of your Instagram posts…

Rue: (laughs) Yes I did. My post read: “bi**h, you’re making too much noise”. My mother and I are very close to an extent that to us that is not an offensive word. It’s more like calling her my friend. A blog, however, took it up and thought that I was being disrespectful but what they don’t know is that that is how my mother and I relate.

P: Do you think her celebrity status has helped you in your career?

R: I try to do my own thing and make the most out of it. She might be a celebrity but I believe that I am where I am due to my hard work and not because of who she is.

P: What is that one thing that we do not know about your mum?

R: She is actually a very strict woman. I think that is the reason why none of my siblings are dating. We do not have a house-help as many think. We do our own laundry as well as cook for ourselves. She is above all loving, caring and fun to be with.

P: How well would you describe yourself?

R: I am a petite, shy and an easy person to be around with. My government name is Celine Dion Rue Akello but most people know me as Rue. I am a second year student studying International Relations. I hope to one day become a diplomat.

P: Why diplomacy?

R: I like mingling and interacting with people and also the fact that I do not like working behind a desk while spending many hours in an office.

P: It is interesting that you say you like mingling while most people think you have a bit of an attitude...

R: Well, I do get that a lot. I'm actually an easy person to be around. Most people judge me from my face even before they get to interact with me.

P: Why did you pick modelling?

R: I started modelling last year immediately after clearing my high school education. I work with Toy Toy models, which is owned and run by Letoya Johnson. My journey in modelling has not been as smooth as many would assume.

P: How so?

R: Many agencies turned me down saying that I am too skinny and petite to be a model yet those are some of the qualifications one needs to be a model.

P: Did you think you'd win the face of Nivea competition when you went into the competition?

R: It had never crossed my mind actually. My friend Salome nominated me for the competition. To my surprise, most people actually voted for me and by the end of the competition, I emerged the winner. That’s how I ended up earning the title Face of Nivea, and received both love and hate.

P: Love and hate?

R: Some people argued that I was not pretty enough and others that I was too skinny and some even thought that I was starving myself. According to others, I earned the title due to my mother’s fame. What most people don’t know is that my mum was a bit hesitant for me to join the competition but it was too late. She was afraid of how I would handle the fame that comes with being popular.

P: Has that always been the case… that she does not want you to be out there getting famous?

R: Well, it wasn’t just about this incident. When I told her that I wanted to venture into modelling, she was slow to approve of it but at the end we agreed on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’t's.

P: How did you handle the critics?

R: I decided to keep mum about it because talking would add more fuel to the fire. I mostly came under attack from the blogs. They all soon calmed down though.

P: Has life as the Face of Nivea changed for you?

R: It definitely has. I’m always going for shoots and I also do not go to hang out joints I used to visit before. Nevertheless, I am still a big fan of ‘McDee’. Their fries are just the best.

P: What does it mean to be the Face of Nivea?

R: Contrary to people’s thinking, this does not mean that you are the products’ brand ambassador. All that there is for you is to appear in their billboards. This competition is held annually and well, my tenure ends in December this year.

P: Does it pay?

R: Yes it does. I will, however, not disclose the amount for security purposes.

P: Do you have bodyguards everywhere you go?

R: Not really. During the Mr and Miss Multimedia University finals held at the Bomas of Kenya, my mother assigned me guards to be my side. The nature of this event and the time called for a bit of security.

P: Any celebrity crushes?

R: Sean Andrew. He looks presentable and has good looks. He is a model just like I am.