I’m a 22 year old, Sport Science Student, at the University of Pretoria. Born and raised in Krugersdorp. I’m not one to give up on my dreams, if I want something bad enough, nothing will stand in my way of getting it. I live by the motto, “to grow you must be willing to let your future and present be totally unlike your past, your history is not your destiny”. I’m driven, focused and like to consider myself very mature and hard working. I aim to be the best I can be, and will never let my friends, or my family down. My sister is my hero; my best friend and my motivation. I can never say no to cupcakes or yummy biscuits and always up for a good time with my girls. I love fashion and dressing up, and hope to maybe open a sports fashion label one day. My roommate Charis and sister Kerryn would describe me as “a leader, honest, confident, persevering, outgoing, and loyal”. I wear my heart on my sleeve and look up to woman who believe in themselves.
On Facebook you describe yourself as ‘a real mommy’s girl” – what do you mean?
My mom, Beverley, and I are two pea’s in a pod. The saying “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is completely true in our case. We are so similar in nature, that we just compliment each other so well. I admire her with all my heart. I’ve never met someone more hardworking and deserving and trendy as my mom. She’s my best friend, adviser, shopping partner, Chelsea supporting team mate, and there’s not a moment with her that I don’t cherish. What I love is that she will go to the ends of the earth for me, literally. Last year she took me on an adventure of a lifetime to Greece and Paris. Believe it or not, she’s so up to date with all the latest fashion, music, and entertainment that she often has to keep me updated.
And no credit should taken away from my dad! He's the most important man in my life and the only one worth my entire heart! He is my number one fan in life! Oneday when I'm rich Its my dream to buy us matching Harley-Davidsons...
I discovered your love for the whole twilight thing on twitter. How did that start with you?
When Twilight came out I didn’t actually know that much about it until my one of my girlfriends brought over the dvd to my house… that was the start of a crazy, fanatic and completely insane addiction. I’m not a fan of reading books, probably read about 3 books in my entire life from beginning to end, but I thought id give it a try purely based on the fact that the movie was so good, and I wanted to know more. So I borrowed the books from another girlfriend just before the June holidays and it took me 2 weeks to complete reading the entire saga. I remember my family hounding me because I never left my room for two weeks, day in and day out I lay in bed and simply read. Never in my life did I think that I would connect to books on such a person and imaginative manner. Wasn’t so much the fact that I adored the characters but that the characters portrayed meaning to something that I needed to learn at that time in my life. I was going through a horrible break up at that stage and I consumed myself in these books that kept proving to me how I should be treated and what I really deserved from a man. Reading the twilight books even inspired me to write my own book. I wanted to help all my girlfriends and anyone else who had ever suffered a terribly broken heart and in using my own life experiences to ‘teach’ them not to make the same mistakes I had made in life, and that they deserve the ultimate best. My book is called, “A journal to my girls, your history is not your destiny”. People think its silly when I say twilight changed my life, well I can 100% say that the twilight story has made me who I am today and helped me reach my dreams. Stephanie Meyer – I love you!!!
What do most people not get about Twilight?
For girls it’s simply a love story, with beautiful, gorgeous and handsome characters, action, drama, excitement, anticipation and that special something, that everyone has become so obsessed about.
However, So many times I have heard guys say, “ag that’s a girl movie” “id never watch that kind of stuff” but what id love people to really see is the story behind the films. I think the biggest conception is that the twilight saga is directed at girls alone and that guys find it ‘uncool’. Its in a girls nature to go crazy over the ‘oh so desirably gorgeous main character’ but what the men don’t see is the action, graphics and all the stuff that they find entertaining because they are not willing to take the chance of going to watch it. When I watched New Moon, I heard a man shout out “it cannot end like that” as the movie ended, and I wish more guys would actually look past the romance and see the truth and story that we all indeed can relate to. Come on’ guys, go see twilight.
Why do you think twilight resonates so much to you?
Twilight is every girl’s fantasy. To meet a mysteriously handsome man who turns out to be the love of your life, and to have family stand by your side and defend you till their deaths. I felt like twilight taught me many life lessons and that Love is the most incredible thing in the world. I am a very emotional and devoted person and when I read the books and saw the film, I simply asked myself what do I deserve? What kind of friends and family do I want by my side during tough times? What would I settle for? Who am I as a person? What do I want to accomplish? At the time of reading the books, I was not at a happy place in life but I felt inspired to change and become better because I wanted a man to feel for me the was Edward felt for Bella, and I wanted people to love me enough to never leave my side. I asked myself all these questions that have shaped me into the person I am today, and I have never looked back. I believe everything happens for a reason and I was meant to learn what I did.
And then you won tickets to a Twilight party. How was that?
The party was INCREDIBLE!!! First of all I have never won anything in my life so this was the best prize ever. It was the day before my birthday so it was really special present. I won 2 tickets and had planned to take my sister as my guest, but luckily she also won VIP tickets, so 2 of my closest friends joined us for one crazy fun evening. MiMoney went to so much trouble with the décor and the venue was just amazing. You walked in to a complimentary drink and made your way through to a photo shoot with the ‘characters’. We also received fake tattoo’s- blood stained vampire bite if you were team Edward and Jacobs tribal tattoo if you were team Jacob. I didn’t want to have to choose so I got both. People were walking around handing out toffee apples, and torches to represent the moon (new moon) and there was also a quick photo booth to have pictures with your friends. The vibe was fabulous and im sure everyone had the best time ever. It was said to be “the party of the century” and im sure everyone can agree that it lived up to its expectations.
And from there how did that turn into a gig with Ryan Seacrest Productions?
I always laugh when I tell this story….. There was a competition that RSP was hosting to win the chance to go to the New Moon Premiere and be an interviewer. I had looked into the competition and saw that it was only for US and Canadian citizens. So many of the competitions that I had already tried to enter were also only for Americans and I thought that was so unfair because I really wanted that opportunity too. I landed up sending Ryan Seacrest an email describing how much I wanted the same opportunity and that I am too a huge fan and should be considered and if there were any other opportunities for South Africans that they should let me know. I wasn’t going to give up so I forwarded the email to Ryan for about a month and a half before I finally got a reply from the Vice President Of RSP. They organized me the same opportunity to go and be an interviewer and that meant I could go to the premiere. Unfortunately because I was not American the lawyers had to approve a contract which wasn’t approved in time of the premiere. So we got in contact again in January and were in talks of organizing the same job for the next movie, Eclipse. Soon after they emailed me and offered me the opportunity of going to Los Angeles and working for Ryan Seacrest Productions on an internship. I never once thought this would all happen but at the same time I believed with everything in me that I would get this opportunity. Persistence really does pay off, and so does stalking Ryan Seacrest, haha
And what will that involve?
The finer details have not yet been discussed but im sure I will hear soon. Im so grateful of this opportunity that even being a tea girl would be an honour, but knowing them and how they work im sure they will have a lot in store for me.
Are you going to do a little travelling and sightseeing while in America? Anything in particular you’d like to see?
I’m fortunate enough to be quite well travelled already, but have never been to America or that side of the world so this is one crazy and exciting venture that I’m embarking on. I have family in San Francisco so I will be arriving there, so that I can catch up on a bit of sleep and find my feet and also so that they can help me with a few things before I head down to LA. My family will also come down to LA and visit me on my free weekends, and have promised to take me to see a few places, including Disneyworld, which I am so excited about. I have planned to stay an extra week after my intern has ended and will be travelling to see a friend in Boston, and of course being that close to New York I cannot resist but take a trip over there and see what all the New York Hype is about. I also really hope to go and watch a baseball or basketball game. I always hear so much about it and you hear how exhilarating watching a game is so I hope to try and organize with my friend and go scream my lungs out, even though I don’t know who I will support.
Any chance you’ll be meeting any of the Twilight cast while you’re over there?
Being at the Ryan Seacrest Studios I am hoping to meet or at least see a few celebrities that come into the studio. If given the opportunity I would like to interview a member of the cast or ask a few questions if the come into the studio for a radio interview. Also, depending if I get the chance to attend the premiere or help out behind the scenes, I would love to see what happens at a real Los Angeles Premiere. If not I shall stand outside and cheer with the many fans and hope to catch a glance of the cast. As I say, im not exactly sure of my jobs or duties so I will have to go with the flow, but trust me, I wont give up. Ill try as hard as I can.
And what other opportunities have come up around this?
I'm a huge risk taker and if I fail I just aim to try harder. I contacted a few brands and businesses and pleaded my story to them and asked if they had any opportunities for me, and luckily I have had a few call backs and suggestions. I will be writing a weekly diary for Foschini’s website and will look stunning wearing some of their clothes while I am in America. And of course I was granted the opportunity by you, Nick van der Leek, for this interview and publication. I have also been contacted by Primedia broadcasting and 94.7, who have enthusiastically and kindly jumped on board to support me and help raise the funds for my trip. I am waiting with baited breathe, hoping there will be more opportunities that come my way. I have never expected or wanted anything free, I will definitely contribute to their companies and give back to them in any way I can. I really am so grateful for all the support and advice I have received. Everyone has been so supportive of me reaching for my dreams.
What about your university studies? Are they on hold or are you considering staring in a new direction?
Im currently in my last year of my studying, and will be travelling during my holidays so the timing is perfect. I will miss a few days of varsity, but will return to SA to complete my degree at the end of this year. I am a sporty girl with a real ‘girlie’ side, I love sports but I also love fashion and the entertainment business. Im open to what comes my way and I am not stuck on one career path. I will follow which ever career best suits me and that I love. Studying Sport Science has been so rewarding in the respect that I have learnt so much about health, fitness, nutrition, business management and all aspects that could come handy in any career that involves beauty, fashion and figures that are in the spot light. I am planning on doing a small course in fashion design and aim to produce my own sports fashion label- from personal experience and having to gym compulsory, I have come to the conclusion that us ‘ladies’ need more trendy yet comfortable gym wear. I also love being infront of the camera, be it photoshoots or presenting, so at this moment in time im open to many things.only the future will tell….
You’re on Twitter – do you prefer Twitter to Facebook?
Facebook is an incredible way to keep up to date with friends and family and my personal life. Twitter is more of a general social network and not so much about my personal life. I have met so many amazing friend via twitter that I have furthmore gone and added them on Facebook. Facebook has more to offer so I’d probably say I prefer that over twitter. To me twitter is more about reading what celebrities are up to and reading the latest news on fan sites and other sites.
Why do you use Twitter – very few university students seem to?
I started out on Twitter just to see what all the fuss was about and because I was such a fan of Twilight I started following all the fan sites and other people who loves it just as much as me. Many people would update from the premieres and upload photos of the cast and other celebs so it made it easier for me to keep up, rather than having to log onto many specific sites individually. Not many of my friends have twitter, a lot of people do not grasp the concept of it, but I mainly use it to read what goes on in the lives of celebs as not many of my friends have twitter. It is much easier because you can follow anyone you would like to and would then be able to reads what they update, where as facebook or other sites are more personal and not many celebs have any other accounts other than twitter. Those who don’t use twitter are really missing out. Its great in bringing people of the same interests together and if you are a twilight fan there are literally thousands of twilight based twitter accounts for you to follow.
Where can South African audiences see more of you? Will your gig with RSP be for an SA audience?
People can follow me on twitter – kirstydt
or follow me on facebook – kirsty du toit
People are welcome to see my blog, (nick, I will set one up asap? or wait to see what foschinis says??) that will track my journey with RSP and also includes a little bit of this and that of everyday life and experiences.
People can also read my weekly diary on the Foschini’s website as soon as that is set up.
I will try and keep all the twilight fans in South Africa as up to date as possible through my sites and fill you in on everything that goes on in los Angeles and at the RSP studios.
And what’s next from here?
Well I have a meeting with 94.7 and Primedia in the coming weeks, so we will have to wait and see what is in store for me, you’ll have to watch this space. But right now I am trying to finish varsity and trying to figure out how I am going to fit everything into one bag. haha. Theres a lot of planning that goes into a trip like this so I’m also busy finalizing flights, visa’s, my accommodation etc…. its going to be an experience of a lifetime, and who knows what’ll happen in the future, and what’s around the corner waiting for me. All I know is, the sky is the limit and anything is possible with hard work, dedication and belief! Everyone is destined foe great things, but take a chance, take a risk and if you fail, try try try again!!!!
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