The absence of artist Ahmed Helmy from the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, which took place yesterday, Thursday, in El Gouna, Red Sea Governorate, stirred a wave of controversy and questions, especially since the event honored his wife, actress Mona Zaki, by awarding her the "Creative Achievement Award" for her overall artistic career.
The audience is used to seeing Helmy constantly beside his life partner at all her awards and important creative milestones, which led to speculations and interpretations on social media, with some even doubting the existence of disagreements between the two stars.
In exclusive statements shared with "Video News Agency," artist Ahmed Helmy clarified the issue and put an end to the rumors, revealing the real reasons that prevented him from attending the honoring ceremony.
Helmy expressed his immense happiness and great pride in his wife's honor at the El Gouna Festival, affirming that he feels proud with every positive step and success she achieves.
He explained that he had a strong desire to be alongside Mona Zaki at this exceptional moment as usual, but unforeseen and pressing circumstances forced him to travel unexpectedly to London to be with their daughter "Lily," who has been living there for a while.
He added that his trip was to settle some personal matters related to his daughter's residence, in addition to completing bank procedures that require his personal attendance and cannot be postponed, which prevented him from heading to El Gouna with his wife, the star Mona Zaki.
The Egyptian star confirmed that he made sure to follow the opening ceremony and moment of his wife's honor step by step, saying: "I was incredibly happy watching my wife, my beloved, and the mother of my children being honored with the Creative Achievement Award, and of course, I made sure to congratulate her instantly and expressed my feelings and pride in her through a post I shared on Instagram."
Actress Mona Zaki received the "Creative Achievement Award" in celebration of her outstanding contributions to cinema and television over an artistic career spanning more than twenty years.
Zaki could not hold back her tears during her speech in front of a crowd of filmmakers and stars, where she spoke sincerely about her artistic journey, expressing her gratitude to everyone who shared this journey with her in the artistic community.