'Nobody's Life Is As Perfect As It Looks On Instagram'

Actress and entrepreneur Vanessa Haywood-Sandes happily traded Hollywood for Hout Bay – she chats to Leigh Hermon about being a new mom, making a big career switch, and why we all need some me-time

- Leigh Hermon

In 2009, Vanessa, now 39, was catapulted into the limelight after appearing in District 9, the Oscar nominated sci-fi hit flick directed by Neill Blomkamp. Yet many may not know that, before her Hollywood success, Vanessa grew up barefoot on a farm in Mpumalanga, and she studied business management and marketing in Joburg. Today she now runs a digital marketing start-up from her Hout Bay home, which she shares with her husband, ultra-distance runner Ryan Sandes, 35, and their son Max, one.

I’ve lived in Joburg and Los Angeles, but I’ll always be a farm girl at heart.

I grew up on a farm in Mpumalanga and spent just about every day barefoot and covered in mud until I was 12. My parents instilled a love for the outdoors in me and my sisters from an early age: on weekends we’d go on a hike to a nearby waterfall and skinny dip in the natural pools, before walking along dirt roads back home. My parents have since moved to Polokwane and when I get the chance, I love spending a long weekend with them.

I’m the eldest of three sisters and we didn’t get on.

It’s hard to believe it now, but we weren’t close as kids. When I left school, Kim was only 11 and Robyn was four. While I was studying, it always felt like we were living on different planets, unable to understand what each other was going through because of the age gap. Thankfully, we have grown much closer over the years – I’m always telling all my friends about Kim’s [Schulze] successes at 5fm, as well as how close Robyn is to finishing her nursing degree. When I’m in Joburg for work or to visit our parents, I’ll always make time to see both of them to catch up.

All three of us made a career switch halfway through our studies.