Kiss 100's Adelle Onyango reveals her biggest insecurity

Adelle Onyango hosts one of the most popular urban radio shows, was named as one of BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women in 2017 and is generally a wholesome person who advocates for confidence and self-acceptance. But like a lot of us, Adelle has not always felt confident.

The Kiss 100 breakfast show host recently opened up about her biggest insecurity , the scars on her knees, thighs and elbows. The scars were as a result of chronic eczema, a skin condition that caused her to severely itch and scratch her skin, leaving wounds which would then form into scars.

Adelle Onyango (Instagram) Pulse Live Kenya

When she was younger, the condition could be controlled by her mum who would regulate her diet but as she got older, she got more reckless with it and her condition flared up.

“My eczema just flared up because I had gotten pretty reckless. The eczema attacks would feel like someone was throwing firecrackers on to my skin. It was the most uncomfortable thing ever. You itch, you scratch it forms wound then scars,” Adelle revealed on an episode of her ‘Legally Clueless’ podcast.

It was the most uncomfortable thing ever - Adelle Onyango (Instagram) Pulse Live Kenya

She developed scars on her knees, thighs and elbows but she wasn’t so insecure about them. She got super-conscious of her scars after she got raped in 2008 and the incident left her with more scars on her legs.

“I got more scars, mainly on my legs and then the shame set in. I just stopped wearing clothes that would show my hands and legs. I stopped swimming because I didn’t want people asking questions,” she confessed.

In addition, she switched to wearing stockings underneath her shorts and dresses and wore long-sleeved tops and jeans.

Also Read : I felt a lot of shame eating in public - Linda Nyangweso on weight insecurities

Turning Point

At some point in her adult life, Adelle decided to break free from the shackles of her insecurities and to do this, there were some steps she had to take to be truly free. And to start off, she started wearing clothes that would show her hands and legs.

“Every day, I push to overcome those insecurities by wearing my sleeveless tops and my shorts which may seem like an easy thing to do but when you are so insecure and embarrassed you just wanna hide it from the world and yourself actually. So taking a step above that hiding is very big, it’s really magical,” she revealed.

Adelle in shorts Pulse Live Kenya

“ I am accepting my body as it is. I no longer see my scars as things I should be ashamed of or things I should hide from the world.They are more of a reminder of what I have conquered. I have shifted them from things I should be insecure about to things I am actually proud of. It’s a really beautiful phase,” Adelle added.