'I'm present as a mother and wife': Jessica Nkosi on her break from acting — and her return

It's been a year-and-a-half since actress Jessica Nkosi last appeared on our TV screens, after her exit from Mzansi Magic's The Queen — but she is gearing to make a comeback soon.

She's been keeping busy with influencer work and making appearances, and is particularly proud of her ambassadorship with Volvo.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Jessica opened up about her decision to take a break from acting to focus on her children.

“God is so good that I can have other streams of income. While I am not on your screens there's other work that I can do because I can still work with brands. I'm really appreciative of that because I love doing that as well,” she said.

“I worked hard to be attractive to brands. The way you carry yourself, the way you are — brands are attracted to that. While I am not acting, which is something that takes me away from my children, I love that I can do something where I am present as a mother and a wife.” 

Jessica confessed that the acting bug is still very much alive within her. In fact, she has already started taking steps to get back into the swing of things by attending acting coaching.

“I feel like acting was my therapy. It's nice to just get out of Jessica Nkosi and dive into somebody else's body and be obsessed with their lives. I enjoyed that. I studied acting, so it's where my comfort is. It's in remembering the exercises I do before I'd start acting, before each scene ... and I felt like I needed to get back into that. It's like I am back to school.”

She's been enjoying her time out as a mom to two children, doing school drop-offs and being there for every milestone.

“I don't think motherhood has changed me much. With my first child, I was at work. I gave birth and in two months I was [back] on set. But with my son I was just like, it would be nice if I was a bit more present, so I intentionally made the decision to not work.

“I left the show I was on [The Queen] to focus on my kids. I had never experienced school drop-offs before. Now it's something I do on a regular basis. It's been a year-and-a-half. It's exciting to get back, but I have also been enjoying being a mom. But I'm an actor and the bug will always live inside me. I will be back soon.”

Jessica, who tied the knot with actor TK Dlamini in 2022, was evasive when asked about her love life. 

“I am going to say one line: it's nice. No elaboration at all. You guys know I'm married, [and] I'm a mother. It is me but I don't ... you know who my husband is ... it's great. There's no need. Those who are married know how marriage is.”