Former Big Brother Naija housemate Queen Mercy Atang has opened up about the painful physical toll of her now-iconic bread dress, which she wore to the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards held at Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos on May 9.

Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin, the reality star revealed that the outfit constructed from over 500 loaves of bread was so extraordinarily heavy that it almost broke her waist and left her with a severe wound on her back, adding that she was moved to tears while wearing it.

Atang was quick to clarify that she did not design the dress herself, crediting celebrity fashion designer Toyin Lawani of Tiannah Empire for the concept and execution of the elaborate gown, which featured gold spangles alongside the bread loaves cascading from the waist down.

“First of all, I was not the one who made the dress. Tiannah Empire, the king of fashion, made it. It is just for me to get the clothes ready to put on,” she said, adding that the dress took several weeks to construct and required her to attend fitting sessions so adjustments could be made.

Despite the scale of the creative effort involved, nothing could have fully prepared her for the physical demands of wearing it.

The reality star described the moment she first put on the finished dress as overwhelming. According to her, the weight was so punishing that she broke down in the first few seconds of wearing it and had to remove it briefly before summoning the courage to put it back on.

“The weight of the dress almost broke my waist. If you check my back, I have a serious wound there, because that bread was very heavy. I literally cried while wearing that dress. I first said I needed to catch my breath. The first few seconds after wearing the dress, I had to take it off and cried a lot. Then later, I told them I was ready to wear it again,” she recounted.

She further revealed that she never made it inside the venue, as even after some of the bread fell off the gown, the remaining weight made sitting down impossible.

Atang also disclosed that attending the AMVCA was not part of her original plans for the year, as she had been focused on her business goals and had initially intended to dress simply if she went at all. It was her designer who persuaded her to attend and firmly ruled out a low-key look.

She further explained that she insisted on appearing at the event in person, even after the red carpet had closed, because she did not want the images posted online to be dismissed as AI-generated. The strategy paid off spectacularly the dress went viral across social media and was picked up by major international outlets, a reception that she admitted caught her completely off guard.

The dress, which Atang said was a deliberate promotion of her personal bakery business embodying the concept of “wearing your business” has since sparked widespread debate in Nigeria about the intersection of fashion, food waste and celebrity spectacle. While many praised the creativity and marketing ingenuity behind the look, others condemned it as insensitive given the current cost-of-living pressures facing ordinary Nigerians.

Atang has not addressed the controversy directly, but her candid account of the physical suffering behind the viral moment has added a new and sobering dimension to what many had assumed was simply a flamboyant red carpet stunt.