After splitting up with her boyfriend of 10 years, Mbau says she has had time to reflect on her life and is loving being single again. Media personality Khanyi Mbau says she has been a lost soul and depressed for 12 years, but she has finally found herself.
“I was not myself for the past few years; my past was haunting me. I used to run away from my problems by going to nightclubs to drink my sorrows away because I was hoping things would get better,” Mbau says.
The actress says it took her many years to come out of a dark place and find her new self.
“Two years ago, I started seeking some professional help. Going through therapy has helped me to find myself again,” she says.
Last month, Mbau (34) announced on social media that she had broken up with Tebogo Lerole, her boyfriend of more than a decade.
She wrote on her Instagram page: “Guys, we have been here before, certainly words I have uttered before. Our second attempt grew us even further apart.
“A decade of dating someone comes with great joy and immense difficulty, that fighting to stay together is sometimes not enough. Some paths are meant to cross and certain season(s) to pass. Tebogo Edward billion has chosen to take a different path and I have chosen to respect it and let him soar into greatness. And by this we are no longer an item.”
Speaking for the first time about their split, Mbau admits that it took a toll on her.
“As much as it was not easy, I had to let it [the relationship] go and find myself again. Lockdown has helped me to reconnect with myself. I had allowed myself to go through the emotions and the pain, and cry myself to sleep. But I have come out strong.
“One of the popular [Bible] verses that was always in my mind when I was going through the trials and tribulations is Psalms 46 verse 10: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’,” she says.
But she refused to say what led to the break-up.
“I am happy and content. God came through for me this time around.”
She says she is single, for now.
Asked whether her Twitter handle was being flooded with direct messages (DMs) from a potential baes, she says she has been trying to avoid her DMs because, aside from men asking her out, her fans are always asking for financial help. Sometimes she feels bad when she can’t help.
“I am single and looking into myself. Well, never say never. If I had to get married again, I would do it all over again. Love is a beautiful experience,” she laughs.
Although she is in a good space emotionally, she shares that she could not have survived without support from her family, especially her little brother, media personality Lasizwe Dambuza.
“These are really tough times for us as entertainers as money is not coming in and most projects have been halted because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. We are losing money and we cannot afford the lifestyle we used to,” says Mbau.
“Our anxieties are through the roof as you don’t know when you are going to get your next paycheque. This has taught me to understand that life has no guarantees; whether you are wealthy or poor, we are all the same during these trying times. Money cannot buy health.”
She recently lost a friend and says she is happy to be alive. “We are losing our loved ones every day. If I make it to December 31, then I will live forever.”
Mbau, who launched her I Am Khanyi millennial shimmer gin in 2018, says she was excited when President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted the ban on alcohol last weekend and moved the country to lockdown level 2.
“Many South Africans, including myself, have been severely affected. The alcohol ban has impacted on many people’s lives, including the full value chain of the alcohol industry.”
She adds: “My business has also lost income. I am currently participating in a campaign – #SaveMyLivelihood – in support of people who work in the booze industry. This is an opportunity for economic recovery and to try to save the livelihoods of many people and restore their businesses.
“I encourage consumers to please consume alcohol in a responsible manner.” - Citypress
