After 13 episodes of clinking glasses, gossiping and glamorous outings, it appears that the six housewives of The Real Housewives of the Winelands not just going to raise the flag of peace.
On Thursday night, viewers saw Amy Kleinhans-Curd, Mariska Thorpe, Karen Schwentke, Candice Bester, Michelle van Zyl and Anita Lloyd revisit some of the sensational show’s highs and lows with host Armand Aucamp in the first of two reunion episodes .
These episodes of the Housewivesfranchise is known to provide opportunities for the housewives to have their final say on any speculations and comments in their video diary recordings.
And of course quite a few old cows were also dug out of the ditch.
Anita says sorry for using language
Anita, the feisty redhead whose husband is the outgoing head of Co-operative Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika (KWV), gained fame through the series for her honest comments and colorful language – but now says it’s not really in her nature not.
“I do everything in the superlative and my sense of humor is only ironic and exaggerated, but I don’t swear as a rule. Some of my friends and family were shocked by my language and I apologize; I think it got a little out of hand.”
She also apologized for her “inappropriate” comments that the housewives all serve the money god Mammon.
“One says good sometimes on the spur of the moment, but I realize it was wrong to get rid of it and to speak on behalf of the other women. My husband and I live comfortably, of course, but we worked terribly hard for our money.”
Anita also admitted that she was deeply affected by reports about her that appeared in Afrikaans mainstream media in particular.
“When you dare to say something back, then you attack the freedom of the press or people say you have passed yourself off as a toffee, so now you have to be chewed out. The worst thing for me was that it was ‘our people’ and ‘our newspaper’ that did it. It hurt a lot.”
Karen reveals health shock
Although she did not join her fellow housewives alive due to an operation, Karen – a businesswoman who lives on the Val de Vie estate in Paarl – still had her say.
Karen also made a name for herself through the series for her verbal fights with Mariska and Anita and revealed that she had survived three mild strokes before the show’s filming.
“I am so grateful to the Lord above that nothing went wrong with my brain, but the left side of my face was affected. If you pay close attention, you will see that my lip sometimes twitches funny when I speak.
“I almost died, but I feel blessed. I feel blessed that I can talk to Anita and give answers tonight, regardless of what she thinks of me.”
She also apologized to Mariska and explained that some of her comments “hit harder” than she initially intended.
“Sometimes I say and do things that come across as harsh to others, but I don’t mean it that way. I humbly apologize for that.”
Michelle snaps back at newspaper article
Michelle, an aesthetic doctor, said about the flashback of her journey on the program that she no longer recognized “that woman in the first few episodes”.
“It was literally someone who was so searching for acceptance and identity. Because of work and my busy family life, I started to get tunnel vision and lost my humanity.”
She also has her sensational interview with Hanlie Retief in the Sunday newspaper Reportin which she said that she “survived the women of the winelands”, defended and said the aim was not to put her fellow housewives in a bad light.
“The headline was that I was ashamed of myself for the housewives, but I was ashamed of myself. I explained myself after all Casino Royale– debacle. I would have expressed myself in other ways if I had realized what the implications would be.”
However, Mariska did not hold back and made her feelings about Michelle’s interview clear.
“I felt attacked and felt like she didn’t see us on her level as true friends.”
“It seemed as if we didn’t sympathize or hear you at all,” said Amy, a former Miss. South Africa and businesswoman, added.
The Real Housewives of the Winelands can be seen on Thursdays at 20:00 on kykNET (DStv channel 144) and is available on DStv Catch Up.
