SHE thought long and hard about appearing on the show because it would mean being away from her children for hours on end. But ultimately her kids are the very reason she decided to go for it.
Being on The Real Housewives of Gqeberha (RHOGQ) gave Ashleigh Mather a chance to shine a light on raising children with autism and to talk about her experiences and challenges.
But filming the show was a challenge in itself, she tells YOU. “Things were a little chaotic and routines went out the window. Obviously, the kids would get upset on certain days.
“But [now that filming is over] it’s nice to just get back to my normal routines and enjoy my free time with them again.”
Ashleigh appears on the show with a pack of formidable women. There’s Buli G Ngomane, her bestie and a former Idols SA contestant, events planner Norma Nicol, salon owner Unathi Faku and construction boss Liz Prins.
What sets the 32-year-old apart from her castmates is that she’s a stay-at-home mom and devotes her time to eight-yearold Aryan William and four-year-old Phoenix Charles-Duncan.
“I had a lot of mom guilt because I’d have to wake up super early or come back home late while the show was being filmed,” she says. “I’d never left my kids before. It was hard because kids with autism thrive off routine and theirs was thrown off a lot. I felt bad.”
Ashleigh also had quite a tough time on the show. She was introduced as a bubbly, free-spirited young mom, but it wasn’t long before the claws came out. In the first few episodes her castmates criticised her for being too carefree, drinking like a fish and being childish.
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
BALLON IN THE BAG
Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football
IT WAS ALL A LIE
A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country
AGREE TO DISAGREE
Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book
PAUSE THE CLOCK
Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down
MPOOMY ON TOP
We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court
MATT THE RECLUSE
A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight
A LEAP OF FAITH
After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it