Charity picks up the pieces

each other had three children?
She even allowed her former husband to date other women and never cared a hoot about it. All she wanted was her freedom.
“People do not know this, but my husband and I have been on separation for eight years. It is because we were friends before anything else that we managed to survive the break-up. We get along to this day unlike many divorced couples,” she said.
Charity was reluctant to divulge details of her divorce with the father of her three children but her story is no ordinary one.
“We might have failed to work things out with my husband but for the sake of the children I could not walk away from him. I had tried everything, from involving relatives, counsellors and pastors. The marriage had run its course so I gave him the permission to date other women even though we kept on living together,” she said.
Charity Chinduta Dlodlo was an instant deal breaker the moment she made her debut appearance on Studio 263 as the queen of gossip, Mai Madziva.
At 26 then, her role was utterly convincing, portraying an everyday woman who put her family and the church first but had a weakness of sticking her nose into her friends’ affairs.
The gossip trait did not only end there as she emerged again in Munya Chidzonga’s “Lobola” as a rumour-mongering vendor. While many loved to hate her for that, Charity insists that she simply enjoys her roles.
Since then, she has had multiple roles in local movies, theatre productions and short films. Nine years in the industry evolved her into an A-list actress both on screen and on stage.
Although she has registered great success in her career all this time, Charity has been fighting a battle of her own in her personal life. A battle that bruised her for a while but she is glowing because as something beautiful came out of it.
In a few months, she will be officially divorced from Themba Dlodlo her husband of 18 years. Most women in such situations would be bitter, but not Charity.
Saturday Lifestyle spoke to the seasoned actress who despite losing a man who once meant the world to her is bubbling with joy of a bright future that lies ahead.  Her husband eventually moved out but according to Charity, they still remained good friends. It was after her eldest daughter started high school that she slowly started explaining to them what was happening with their father.
With time her husband eventually married someone else and she had to come to terms with it.
“I finally I realised it was hopeless to hold on to a marriage certificate that had become worthless. I prayed about it all the time and when I eventually decided to move on and I met a wonderful man,” she said.
Charity revealed that she is not concerned about what the society is going to think but she is ready to pick herself up and move on. She admitted, however, that at first she was sceptical about the intentions of her new found love since she had stopped believing in love.
“I met this new man while in South Africa although he is Namibian. He was a good friend to me and stood by my side during my trying times. He is kind and has loved my children for the past three years we have been together,” she said.
It was only this year that the actress has decided to legally finalise her separation from her husband to begin a new life.
“My children are the most important people in my life and it makes me happy that they are happy with the development in our lives. Just like me, they get along just fine with their father and his new family. My relationship with my new man will be official soon so life goes on,” she said.
Charity hinted that she sees wedding bells with the new man sooner that we think.
The future, for her sees her focusing more on her children Mellisa (16), who cannot wait to be the best girl at her wedding, Cheryln (13), an aspiring actress; and her only son, Leeroy (11).
She gives God all the credit for keeping her sane during all that happened.
It turned out for her that there is light at the end of the tunnel after all.