He Just Doesn't Love Me Anymore

Jewellery designer Jenna Clifford tells of her shock when her partner of 28 years walked out on her

- Carla Coetzee

THEY were the golden celeb couple, at ease rubbing shoulders with the glitterati and greeting presidents and film stars like old friends. Together they built South Africa’s best-known jewellery brand, which has become sought after around the world.

For 28 years Jenna Clifford (59) and Dex Kotze (57) were a dynamic duo in both business and love. But last year he dropped a bombshell: he wanted out of the relationship. It wasn’t because there was another woman in the picture. The reason, he explained, was that he simply was no longer in love with her.

Jenna takes a puff of her Camel cigarette as she speaks exclusively to YOU. It’s the first interview she’s given in years.

“The first 14 years of our relationship were wonderful. I felt so lucky,” she says with a nostalgic smile.

There were no major rows or dramatic showdowns at the end. It happened gradually without ceremony. “He just doesn’t love me. I still love him fiercely but it’s not enough,” she says, shrugging.

They’ve been apart for eight months. Dex has gone off to a game farm somewhere “to rescue South Africa’s wildlife” while she’s stayed on at their farm in White River, Mpumalanga. They built the luxurious farmhouse to suit their personal tastes and it used to be their sanctuary.

“I’ve only been back [at work] for nine days,” Jenna says. “I took an 11-month sabbatical where I wasn’t involved in operations. I only designed but that doesn’t feel like work to me.”

The break was good for her soul, she says. Not only did it reinvigorate her designs, it also helped her adjust to life without Dex. The months on the farm allowed her time to mourn the loss of her relationship and now she’s done with crying, she tells us confidently.