'I really have to fight in my heart to forgive him' : Annie Mthembu opens up about her three-year separation

“The Real Housewives of Durban” star Annie Mthembu (née Lodick) has opened up about her split from Kgolo Mthembu.

Annie, speaking on “Engineer Your Life with Lungelo KM”, the same podcast she had been on two years ago defending her marriage from cheating rumours, spoke her truth on the end of her union.

“I really have to fight in my heart to forgive him, like fight with myself. It’s going to take a lot of time and in December it will be three years of our separation,” revealed the businesswoman.

During the podcast, Annie touched on the painful experience of being subjected to character assassination, specifically regarding her marriage, finances, and overall well-being, claiming that lies were propagated by her fellow cast members.

"No one likes to be cheated on; it makes you question yourself a lot. Are you enough? Is there something wrong with me? Why can I not be enough for you?" she revealed.

Annie expressed that the thought of admitting her husband’s unfaithfulness felt akin to declaring her shortcomings.

“In admitting that I was being cheated on, I felt like I was saying ‘I was not good enough’. I was highly embarrassed. I was not in a good place. I just wanted to protect all of us from this, even though I was not being protected,” she added.

Despite her awareness of Kgolo's infidelity, Annie felt compelled to maintain the facade of their family unit, hoping to shield her children and herself from further heartache.

The couple's journey of love began in 2016 when Annie worked as Kgolo’s personal assistant. Their union culminated in a lavish white wedding in 2021, celebrated at La Paris Estate in Franschhoek, marked by Gatsby-like splendour.

However, this fairy tale has since unraveled amidst the pressures of reality television and public scrutiny.

Earlier in the year, Kgolo himself spoke candidly about the strains placed upon their relationship by the reality show. “We gave people power to control our relationship. But I cannot blame the show,” he admitted in a revealing podcast discussion with Mo and Phindi.

Annie has since relocated to Cape Town from Durban.

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