‘Cougar’s’ daughter a hit on the Net
|Published
Manda Reyneke, who allegedly conspired to kill Blue Bulls Player Deon Helberg, getting in to the car and being hugged by he daughter Jalien, after being granted bail. Picture: Etienne Creux Manda Reyneke, who allegedly conspired to kill Blue Bulls Player Deon Helberg, getting in to the car and being hugged by he daughter Jalien, after being granted bail. Picture: Etienne Creux
People wanted to know what “the model whose rugby player boyfriend allegedly cheated on her with her own mother” looked like.
This sudden interest in the 20-year-old Jalien Reyneke caused her picture to jump to the second spot on a website for “beautiful people”.
The Reyneke family has been engulfed in publicity over the past week, following allegations that Reyneke’s mother, Manda, plotted to have rugby player Deon Helberg killed after he ended their affair.
Helberg and Jalien Reyneke broke up about two years ago.
Laurie Botha, owner of Model Management, said the agency, to which Jalien Reyneke was signed, had investigated how her picture ended up on www.ubuhle.com.
“This website, meaning ‘Beautiful People’, apparently picks up names that have received many hits on the Internet,” he said.
“It appears so many people have typed in Jalien’s name, that this website picked it up.”
The description next to her picture – that Reyneke is a part-time model and “recently became famous as the girl whose mother paid two Nigerians to murder Blue Bulls rugby player Deon Helberg” – is apparently only to explain the sudden interest.
Former Egoli actress Christel Smith is third on the website, while actress Cherie van der Merwe, from the Bakgat 2 film, is also on it.
Botha said Reyneke joined the agency in 2006 when she took part in the Ford Models SA competition.
“However, she was still attending school in Middelburg, which made it difficult for her to get off. After school she took a gap year and was able to do modelling full-time,” he explained.
The agency sent Reyneke to Cape Town, where she attracted a lot of international attention.
“She did extremely well here and overseas. But as she is a very intelligent girl, she decided to start her studies this year,” Botha said.
Reyneke is a first-year student at the University of Pretoria. She does modelling work during holidays, and recently again received an enquiry from London.
Botha, who explained that the agency was reacting to news reports on her behalf, said the Reyneke family were handling the drama quite well.
“Remember, except for her mother’s arrest, these things happened a long time ago. Mother and daughter had talked about the issue (of their relationships with Helberg) and sorted it out at that stage,” Botha said.
This recent drama had focused public attention on the Reynekes’ lives. “Yes, people now recognise Jalien more, and some would look at her twice. But no one has been rude or did more than just noticing her,” Botha said.
Manda Reyneke was admitted to a private clinic as a patient on Tuesday.
The clinic, which may not be identified and is known to offer services only in Gauteng, specialises in emotional and psychological problems, including suicidal thoughts, trauma and anxiety. - Pretoria News