Johannesburg - After four years of taking a break from the small screen, Mrs Mops expressed her excitement about making a return to what she dubs her first love, television.
Showmax’s The Mommy Club is centred around motherhood and follows five of Joburg’s wealthiest mommies who create bonds over, well, motherhood.
And for The Real Housewives of Johannesburg breakout star, real name Mpumi Mophatlane, the show offers the viewers a window into deeper layers of her life and her personality.
‘’Something that The Real Housewives of Johannesburg didn’t offer much as it was only one dimension. With The Mommy Club, you get to see me in my home, interacting with my kids and husband, and see me at work and doing work.’’
‘’I said yes to the show because I have never seen anything like this being done in South Africa, and it was the difference that captured my attention,’’ said the 37-year-old.
As a career mommy working within the cyber security space, she took time off to solely dedicate her focus to shooting the show for six weeks. Mrs Mops holds a degree in Drama and Film and said she is open to pursuing this part of her career on a more full-time basis.
‘’I have a neck for television, especially reality TV. It seems to love me. So transitioning from The Real Housewives to The Mommy Club was easy because I always maintain being myself on any platform that I am on.
‘’New faces, new cast, new personalities— that was the one part that I was quite anxious about. I had my reservations, only to find out that some of the mommies were just as nervous as I was. When you put five strange women together, and you are expected to be friends, it’ll always be difficult,’’ she said, revealing that she only made a solid friendship with one of the cast members, whom she would rather not reveal as yet.
Other cast members include author and motivational speaker Happy ‘Her Majesty’ Simelane, event planner, florist, and new mom Nunurai, beauty and health entrepreneur Ratile Mabitsela, and businesswoman and influencer Ms Manche.
Mrs Mops said what initially concerned her and her husband about forming part of the cast was the extent to which she would expose her three children to the viewers, especially with the many bad comments that might come from viewers, something that she has had to deal with in the past.
‘’OMG, I have had to deal with a lot of misconceptions around me. That I am fake, that my accent is put on,’’ she said, laughing. ‘’And what you see on TV is not really who I am. I could go on and on. I just laugh it off, although, in the beginning, it used to be super hurtful. I would go on Twitter a lot, see the courageous things people would say about us, and cry myself to sleep.
‘’The Real Housewives prepared me for this now in a sense that I don’t care what people have to say about me. I have grown a thicker skin, and of late, I have decided to proceed with caution when I make friendships. I have to analyse and get to know that person better because I have been burnt in the past,’’ she said.
‘’Mr Mops is very supportive. He does not want to be on television or any social media platforms, and I hardly post him, but with my dreams, he is super supportive. As long as I am happy,’’ she said.
The Star