I was 10 when my mother remarried; it was difficult to accept: Lijomol Jose

Actress Lijomol recently opened up about her early life, reflecting on the challenges she faced growing up without a father and adjusting to major changes in her family. She revealed that her father passed away when she was just one and a half years old, and that her mother remarried when she was 10.
In a candid conversation with Dhanya Varma, Lijomol said that accepting her mother’s second marriage was not easy then. However, she now understands why her mother had to make that decision.

Looking back, she recalled that her father died while her mother was pregnant with her sister. When she was 10 and her younger sister was eight, her mother married again. Lijomol said she doesn’t prefer to call her mother’s second husband a stepfather—they call him 'Ichachan'. Still, it was difficult for her to accept someone new as a father figure, especially when she had never known what that role meant during the first 10 years of her life.

She described how, all of a sudden, a new person entered their lives, and her mother told them he would now live with them and be called Ichachan. For a child, that shift was jarring. At the time, she felt emotionally distant from her mother. While her mother helped with her studies, Lijomol slept beside her grandmother, and her younger sister remained close to their mother.

Lijomol’s life changed drastically after Ichachan became part of their family. They had to leave her father’s house, a place where they had lived for many years. This was particularly hard for her. Her mother had taken a job transfer, and the remarriage sparked conflict within her father's family. Many relatives, including cousins, uncles, and aunts, stopped speaking to them. During holidays, they had nowhere to go and often stayed home. Accepting all of these changes was an emotional struggle.

She admitted that she couldn’t speak openly with her mother at the time, and her mother, in turn, found it difficult to talk to Ichachan about her daughter's feelings. Lijomol felt she didn’t receive the emotional support she needed. Her mother, though caring, was busy with work and not someone who expressed affection openly. Lijomol acknowledged her mother as a good parent, but one who couldn’t meet the emotional needs she deeply craved.

It wasn’t until college that Lijomol began to understand the reasons behind her mother’s decisions and the weight of the struggles she must have carried. She said they had emotional distance, and she was much closer to her younger sister. Feeling protective, she made it a point to ensure her sister wouldn’t go through the same emotional void she experienced.

Now, with clarity and maturity, Lijomol says she fully understands why her mother made the choices she did. Her mother had consciously decided not to have more children, and today, Lijomol feels nothing but gratitude. She expressed that she is truly thankful for everything her mother endured and the life she ultimately gave her.