Waar Daar ’N Wil Is: Vanes-Mari knows depression first-hand, but now believes in love at first sight
The former Protea netball player and now TV presenter, Vanes-Mari du Toit, was Lee-Ann van Rooi’s guest on Waar Daar ’N Wil Is last night, and charmingly showed why she is so popular as a sportswoman and celebrity.
The conversation started with Vanes-Mari’s height – she stands 1.82 metres in her socks – and how her sporting talent made her realise that it is to her advantage. When it comes to clothes, she said, it’s not always easy. Especially shoes are a challenge, as she wears a size 9 or 10.
With a twinkle in her eye, 36-year-old Vanes-Mari spoke about the new love in her life. After her divorce – she was married to rugby coach Matt Proudfoot – she gave up on finding love and even started taking steps to become a single mother. “Sorry to everyone I told that love at first sight doesn’t exist, because it does,” she laughed when she told Lee-Ann about her and her boyfriend’s first meeting.
Vanes-Mari’s sporting talent was spotted early on. As a Grade 8 pupil at Afrikaans High School for Girls in Pretoria she was already asked to play for the first netball team. Vanes-Mari won her national colours in netball at the age of 20 and played for the Proteas for eight years.
It was when she participated in the reality series Dancing with the Stars in 2018 that she was asked by Karen Meiring, then channel head at kykNET, to audition for the magazine programme Kwêla. Since then, she has become a familiar face on TV with several shows under her belt.
Lee-Ann asked her about her journey with depression, and Vanes-Mari was candid about that too.
“Depression has always been a living thing for me, but I learned how to hide it – the masks we put on,” she said.
Her faith has helped her get back up again and face life, time and again. She has also realised stumbling is part of life.
“I get excited about the lessons I’m going to learn. It’s a terrible time, and I don’t feel great, but how am I going to get out of here?”
The guests on the show were Elize Kotze, Vanes-Mari’s coach at the Proteas, as well as her father, Frahnshua, and three brothers, Francois (known as FC), Jochanan (known as Joggie) and Shmu-El (known as SE). They all have nothing but praise for Vanes-Mari, and it is SE who perhaps best describes her outlook on life: she measures people by how they treat waiters and petrol attendants, because she treats everyone as her equal.
Lee-Ann’s next guest will be economist Dawie Roodt, who is known for his directness and sharp sense of humour.
Waar Daar ’N Wil Is airs every Tuesday at 21:00 on kykNET (DStv channel 144). The series will also be available on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
Connect with kykNET on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
