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“I remember there was a time we were in a car. There was a big talking and he was driving. He said, ‘If you do, I’ll crash in this car,’” she said.
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Gospel musician and music industry expert Diana Hopeson has revealed that her first marriage became so dangerous that her former husband threatened to shoot her and himself during periods of violence.
Speaking to Kafui Dey, Hopeson said the threats became a turning point in the troubled marriage and eventually forced her to make the difficult decision to leave for her safety.
According to her, her former husband once threatened to get a gun and kill both of them.
“He said he was going to get a gun. He would shoot me and shoot himself and that would be it,” Hopeson revealed.
She recalled another frightening incident when the couple were in a car during an argument and her former husband threatened to crash the vehicle.
“I remember there was a time we were in a car. There was a big talking and he was driving. He said, ‘If you do, I’ll crash in this car,’” she said.
Hopeson said she later realised that her former husband was making arrangements to obtain a gun, which heightened her fears.
“He went to the barracks. His stepfather used to be a soldier. So he has… he’s a barracks boy. We used to be the pastors of the Burma Camp Church of God,” she explained.
She said the situation eventually became unbearable, with physical abuse also forming part of the troubled relationship.
“The abuse too… Did he hit you? Oh yes. It was just too much. It was too much,” she said.
Hopeson recalled one particularly violent incident when she had nowhere to escape and hid inside an in-built wardrobe.
“The next time he beat me, unfortunately that day I didn’t have anywhere to hide. I went into… we had this in-built wardrobe. That was where I ran to,” she recounted.
She said her former husband removed his belt and beat her while she was hiding.
“He removed his belt. I heard the crips. I had… I was bleeding with the belt. It was just too much,” she said.
That incident, she explained, convinced her that she could no longer return to the marriage.
“So when I was able to run from there, I was like, ‘No, I’m not going back.’”
Hopeson said she eventually sought help from people around her, including the leadership of her church, after years of carrying the situation largely by herself.
“I was carrying everything to God in prayer and that gave me so much relief. But then you still need help outside,” she said.
She eventually went to the head office of her church to report what was happening and seek intervention.
Hopeson said the danger became even clearer when she realised the extent of the threats against her.
“That was when I now made a decision that, no, I need to run for my life,” she said.
She ultimately left the marriage and did not return.
Hopeson also disclosed that the experience had lasting emotional effects on her, saying she struggled with fear even after leaving.
“For a long time when you open the door, I just get startled,” she said.
“Up till today when I’m in a room, I would prefer to lock the door so that I know who is coming.”
Despite the trauma, Hopeson said she eventually found healing through prayer and forgiveness.
At one point, she said, even hearing her former husband’s name caused her physical pain.
“I said, ‘God, I can’t handle this anymore. Help me to forgive him,’” she recalled.
Hopeson said forgiving him was difficult but became an important part of her recovery.
“When I was able to forgive him, I became alive again,” she said.
She stressed, however, that while she believes in forgiveness, nobody should remain in a relationship where their life is in danger.
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