WHEN she got the call she was snuggled up in bed watching series and snacking. It was a representative from M-Net wanting to know if she was single.
“I was like, eish . . . it’s just me and bae right now. And bae is Cheese Curls,” Qiniso van Damme says, laughing.
M-Net was on the hunt for someone to be Africa’s first Bachelorette, a spin-off of the wildly successful reality series The Bachelor. “They offered me the position but I thought they were joking,” she tells YOU. “I told them to call me tomorrow if this was for real because I didn’t believe them.”
Sure enough, the representative called the next day, and realizing they were serious, Qiniso agreed.
Now the 27-year-old beauty is on a quest to find a Prince Charming of her own – and it has all the makings of a perfectly scripted movie.
A gorgeous young woman spends weeks in a luxurious Joburg mansion getting to know 22 dashing bachelors, each vying for her attention and affection.
Every week she eliminates unsuitable candidates until there are only two men left. In the end, both go down on bended knee and she has to choose which one has best captured her heart.
So does she find love? “We’ll have to wait and see,” Qiniso says coyly.
The Bachelorette South Africa is on our screens from Thursday 11 February – just before Valentine’s Day – and Qiniso is chatting to us via video call from her apartment in Sea Point, Cape Town.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William