Nigerian actor Chinedu Ikedieze has shared how he almost took his own life for being a dwarf.

Speaking during an interview on the YouTube channel 'With Chude', he shared. 

"It was tough growing up. People kept calling me different names.

I started knowing something was wrong with me when my younger brother grew taller than me.

One time I was taken to the doctor and I saw him writing;'stunted growth' I went and looked for the meaning."

Chinedu added that his mum's encouragement saw him through the dark days.

"My mum would always encourage me to study because I could not do hard jobs.

I knew the only weapon I had to conquer the world was being good in my books.

I cried and there were times I thought of ending it all. I felt like the world was unfair to me.

Kids would call me names. Whenever the negative thoughts came, I would remember what my mum said."

Chinedu also shared how he met Osital Heme, his co-actor on the show Aki and Ukwa.

"There was chemistry the first time we met. He looks shy from afar but he is not.

He is an introvert. People would always say we look alike, when I saw him I knew he was the guy."

What is Dwarfism?

According to Mayo Clinic, Dwarfism is short stature that results from a genetic or medical condition. Stature is the height of a person in a standing position. 

It is divided into two categories.

Disproportionate dwarfism. This is when some parts of the body are small, and others are of average or above-average size. Conditions causing this category of dwarfism get in the way of bone development.

Proportionate dwarfism. This is when all parts of the body are small to the same degree and appear like a body of average stature. Medical conditions present at birth or that occur in early childhood limit overall growth and development.

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The most common cause of dwarfism is a condition called achondroplasia, which causes disproportionately short stature. This condition usually results in:

An average-sized trunk.

Short arms and legs, with particularly short upper arms and upper legs.

Short fingers, often with a wide separation between the middle and ring fingers.

Limited mobility at the elbows.

A large head in relation to the rest of the body, with a prominent forehead and a flattened bridge of the nose.

Bowed legs that get worse.

Swayed lower back that gets worse.

An adult height of 4 feet, 1 inch (125 cm) for women and 4 feet 4 inches (132 cm) for men.

Another cause of disproportionate dwarfism is a rare condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC).