’90 Day Fiancé’: Angela Deem Blames Herself For Her Mom’s Hospitalization, Shares a Heartbreaking Goodbye With Michael Ilesanmi
After three years of a long-distance relationship, Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi finally tied the knot in Michael’s home country of Nigeria on a recent episode of TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After.
But the happy couple’s honeymoon was cut short when Angela got a heartbreaking phone call from her daughter, Skyla Deem. Angela’s mother, Glenda Standridge (who sadly passed away in Feb. 2020) was “unresponsive” and had to be hospitalized in the ICU.
In a new preview clip of an upcoming 90 Day Fiancé episode, 54-year-old Angela hastily packed to return to Georgia after learning the bad news about her mom. Michael, 31, had to remain in Lagos, Nigeria, for the time being. The newlyweds shared a tearful goodbye-for-now, and Angela reflected on her decision to marry Michael at last.
Angela confessed that she felt partly responsible for her mom’s hospitalization
Shortly after she married Michael in Nigeria, Angela’s daughter, Skyla, called her to let her know that her mother wasn’t doing well. At first, Angela couldn’t understand what Skyla was saying—and even worried that her mother had already passed.
But as it turned out, Glenda was being rushed to the ICU via ambulance. In a 90 Day Fiancé preview, Angela hurriedly packed so she could head back home, saying the call had “worried her to death.”
In addition to fears about her mother’s health, Angela admitted that she was also wrestling with guilt over her decision to get married in Nigeria. Her mother had repeatedly told her to go through with the wedding in Michael’s home country, reassuring her daughter that she’d “still be there when she got back.”
But now, after the devastating news, Michael’s bride wondered if that was the right decision.
“Maybe it’s my fault,” Angela wondered aloud, her eyes filling with tears. “Because I assume, in my heart, Skyla does a good job, but nobody can take care of her like me, and that’s just how I am.”
The ’90 Day Fiancé’ couple lamented having to part from each other
For his part, Michael knew that leaving shortly after the wedding was what Angela “needed to do.” However, that didn’t make it any easier to drive his brand-new wife to the airport.
“I don’t know when I’m gonna see my wife again,” the 90 Day Fiancé star said sadly.
Still, Michael knew he needed to be brave for Angela. “I need to be strong for her,” he asserted.
Angela, too, was heartbroken that she had to leave her husband behind so soon after their wedding.
“I just want Michael in America with me,” Angela told TLC producers. “I need his emotional support, and it’s hard to do that long-distance.”
Angela reminded Michael that she didn’t know when she would be able to come back, especially because her mother’s health and well-being had to come first. Michael and Angela‘s farewell was even sadder than usual.
Michael and Angela said ‘goodbye for now’ at the airport
Angela and Michael shared tearful kisses, embraces, and professions of love before Angela turned to board her plane. The newlyweds lamented the fact that they had no idea when they would see each other again.
“I promise I’ll be there for you,” Michael assured his wife, adding that he knew they would “work it out,” no matter what.
Michael’s wife cried as she opened up about how difficult it was to have to go through hard times without her husband by her side.
“This is the hard part of leaving, because this is the time you need your husband,” Angela explained. The 90 Day Fiancé star continued, “I don’t want to leave him, because this is a bad situation, and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to go through this alone.”
The grandmother of six told TLC producers that she felt completely disoriented and unmoored with all the changes in her life happening at once. She could be “married one minute,” Angela said incredulously—and then possibly have to head to her mother’s funeral not long afterward. Her wedding was one of the best days of her life, and she was shocked that such joy and sadness could coexist at one time.
Before boarding her flight, Angela revealed the heartbreaking truth about her biggest fears.
“My biggest fear is, I won’t get back to my mom in time to tell her I love her,” Angela said sadly. What’s more, Angela didn’t know if her mother would ever get to meet Michael in person at all—a possibility that completely broke her heart.
