Johannesburg - Kelly Khumalo is now living only for her kids.
In an interview on Thursday night, the Afro-pop star gushed about the most important people in her life – and there appears to be no room for another man.
Khumalo says she’s in a “good space” and her son, Christian (6), who was fathered by Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye, and 14-month-old daughter, Tingo, whose dad was slain Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, complete her.
“I see myself in Tingo. Her feistiness and her sweet heart is very me,” she said.
Khumalo, in a stylish white minidress, was speaking on the sidelines of an event at which she was announced as one of the new hosts of charity reality TV show Reality Check.
She will star in the show with dancer and singer Thulisile “Chomee” Madihlaba and rapper iFani Haymani.
She said Tingo was a tomboy who bullied her older brother. She described Christian as a loving boy who was very much a “people’s person”.
“I spend a lot of time with my children. Nothing fulfils me quite like walking into the house, and hearing the shouts and screams from them calling out ‘Mama! Mama!’,” she grinned.
“My children are very expressive. If they are not happy, you’ll know about it. They are so young, but you can see the appreciation in their eyes.
“I shop for them all the time – I spoil my children. My son cries [with gratitude] every time I buy something new for him. It hurts me,” she said.
Khumalo is a different woman now from the wreck she was after Meyiwa’s murder. “I have accepted my reality and truth. I’m happy with my life and myself,” she said.
She said bad publicity no longer bothered her. “Headlines don’t mean anything to me any more.”
Khumalo, iFani and Chomee’s new show is about celebrities giving their time and energy to work with different charities. The show will be flighted on e.tv on Saturdays at 6.05pm and will begin on July 4.
Khumalo said her fans would see a different side of her ... a woman who “cries a lot, who is very sensitive”.
“Many people know me as a strong woman, but I’m actually a sensitive and compassionate person. I’m excited to be back on TV. This time it’s not about me, but the people. I like the fact that I’m doing something for them.”