One of the most heart breaking moments for Xandy Kamel during her one-year marriage to Kaninja was when the sports presenter deserted her at a time of immense sorrow—when she lost her son, the actress has said.
Xandy Kamel, a mother of three who claims to have funded 80% of the wedding; including rings, gown, and Kaninja’s suit said she lost her son when the child turned sixteen. According to her, Kaninja was aware she already had three children with another man before they married although she was not married in the past.
In an interview on The Delay Show, the actress, who is almost forty, shared a heartbreaking story. She revealed that her oldest son drowned in a river in Sakomono, Accra while swimming after taking an exam. The tragedy, she said, left her family grappling with grief.
“He went to write BECE and when he returned home, there was nobody around so he stepped out with his friends to swim,” she recalled. “I was home when my mother called that someone had told her about the unfortunate news. The caller went through my son’s phone, got her number and called her.”
“I told my husband (now ex-husband) that my child had drowned, so he should accompany me. He told me he couldn’t.”
Xandy responded, “I don’t know” when host of the show, Delay asked what his reasons were. She further clarified that “At the time, we hadn’t fought. There was no disagreement for me to assume it was due to the misunderstanding we have had that made him decide not to accompany me.”
She continued: “I went to Sakumono alone and made my mother report my son’s case to the police. I got my son’s body after three days. We had to perform some rituals, and paid a fine before the body was recovered.”
Xandy described the experience as “terrible”, stating, “To take care of a child till sixteen years and having written examination anticipating he becomes an asset, only for him to die. It wasn’t easy.”
As shocking as it was, Xandy said Kaninja refused to show up during the burial. Instead, he celebrated his birthday.
“The day my child was being buried; my husband was celebrating his birthday. He wasn’t there,” she said.
According to Xandy Kamel, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The actress and the sports presenter tied the knot on May 14, 2020, but their marriage lasted only a year, culminating in a divorce. The brief union concluded on a bitter note, with allegations of infidelity against the man.