Closing the chapter

It’s a wrap! Qiniso Van Damme reflects on her romantic journey in season 1 of The Bachelorette SA, after choosing easy-going marketing guru Gareth Ehret in season 1’s finale.

After four months of going on dates straight out of a romantic novel with 19 suitors and rose ceremony eliminations that ended in tears and heartbreak, model and social anthropology student Qiniso Van Damme was down to two men in the gripping finale of local dating reality series The Bachelorette SA season 1 on Thursday 27 May. She was left to choose between the reserved marketing guru Gareth Ehret and equally laid-back Henk “Swazi” Nel, who runs a cricket academy and who struggled to let his guard down throughout the season.

Ultimately, Qiniso’s decision came down to the man she couldn’t live without – and that is Gareth, explains the model. “With each week, I was falling deeper in love with Gareth. He is caring, adventurous and honest – which is an attractive quality. I chose him because I love him. I enjoyed seeing Gareth with my family, and even more, I liked seeing myself with him through their eyes. It was enlightening,” says 28-year-old Qiniso.

Viewers first met Qiniso in season 2 (2020) of The Bachelor SA (2019-now), where she was vying for entrepreneur Marc Bucker’s heart. But Qiniso was sent packing a week before the hometown dates. She says that her journey has come full circle in The Bachelorette SA, and she believes she’s found the fairytale romance that she was searching for after Gareth offered Qiniso a promise ring in the finale. We caught up with Qiniso after filming wrapped to chat about her experience as the first female lead and what life looks like with Gareth in the real world.

CHOOSING MR RIGHT