Nigerian TikToker and content creator Elizabeth Amadou, popularly known as Jarvis, has opened up about her difficult childhood, revealing that she grew up without her father, endured the challenges of living with a mother who has bipolar disorder, and experienced periods of severe financial hardship and hunger.
Jarvis shared her story in a now-trending video on Sunday while speaking alongside her husband, Peller, with the founder of Spark Nation, Pastor Tobi, during a church service in the United Kingdom.
Reflecting on her upbringing, the content creator described her childhood as stressful and emotionally difficult, saying her mother’s bipolar disorder often affected the atmosphere at home.
“My grandpa was sick, and I came into a family through a mother who has bipolar disorder. Growing up with her has been very stressful and depressing because sometimes the disorder is crazy. Today she is nice and good, and the next minute she is violent, insulting us, you this stupid child; your father is mad,” she said.
Jarvis explained that she did not grow up with her biological father, saying her mother had travelled abroad before returning to Nigeria pregnant with her.
“I didn’t grow up with my father because my mother travelled out of the country and came back pregnant and gave birth to me. Growing up without a dad has not been good because my mum is not mentally okay,” she stated.
According to her, her grandparents became instrumental in her upbringing, providing the discipline and guidance she needed while growing up.
“I grew up with my grandma and grandpa. They did their best to raise me, and they are very learned and strict. The strictness made me who I am today,” she said.
Beyond the difficulties at home, Jarvis revealed that her family also struggled financially, with periods when they could not afford her school fees.
She said she was determined to remain in school and refused to allow financial hardship or peer pressure to push her into making money through questionable means.
“When everything was going down, and there were no school fees, I didn’t want to drop out of school or go through the wrong way to make money. You know, peer group influence,” she explained.
The TikToker further recounted how the family’s financial struggles sometimes left her and her sister without food.
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She recalled that they would watch cooking videos on TikTok simply to satisfy their cravings, despite being unable to afford the meals being prepared.
“My sister and I used to watch cooking videos on TikTok just to salivate, and at the end of the day we pray that God help us, cry and sleep because there is hunger,” she said.
Jarvis said their circumstances eventually led them to discover TikTok livestreaming as a potential source of income.
According to her, someone contacted her through the platform and encouraged her to start livestreaming, explaining that she could earn money from it.
“Someone messaged me on the TikTok app and told me if I start going live on the app, I can make money. The first time I had 200 videos, and I was like, whoa,” she recalled.
Although she was initially shy about appearing on social media, Jarvis said she and her sister eventually decided to start livestreaming together.
She said they initially earned only a small amount but were excited by the income because of the financial challenges they were facing at the time.
“So I started with my sister, and we made like $5 at first, and we were very happy because it was crazy. I was so shy, but with my sister I did it. My family must not see us on social media because there will be problems. Along the line, we started content,” she said.
As their online presence grew, Jarvis said the pair gradually moved from livestreaming solely for income to creating content and building an audience on social media.
She explained that her biggest motivation throughout the journey was the desire to support her sister and achieve financial independence.
“I wanted to take care of my sister. I want to be able to provide a living for ourselves,” she said.
What started as an effort to earn enough money to survive eventually developed into a successful career in TikTok livestreaming and content creation for Jarvis.
