Amor Vittone speaks her truth

By: Venecia Valentine

For more than two decades, Amor Vittone has navigated a life lived between truth and rumours, splashed across front pages and dissected on social media. In the 9 December episode of Waar daar ’n wil is, she sits down with Lee-Ann van Rooi and speaks with rare openness about her journey.

“I live my life in love. I live with passion. If you don’t have passion, you have nothing,” Amor says early in the programme. Yet she admits that living under constant scrutiny has taken its toll.

Her rise to fame, from South Africa’s first Lotto presenter to singer and actress, was followed by her fairytale marriage to Springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen, their two children, and the highly public unravelling of their relationship. Joost’s motor neuron disease diagnosis and his death in 2017 added further layers of heartbreak.

The moments that cut the deepest

With Lee-Ann, Amor talks honestly about the moments that cut the deepest. “When trust is broken. When love you believed in is no longer there,” she reflects. The greatest pain, however, was witnessing what her children and parents endured during the tumultuous years in the spotlight.

Making peace with the past

Amor acknowledges her missteps. “I’ve made terribly many mistakes. But I’ve made peace with my Creator. I don’t need validation from people. I am in a safe place now.” She still describes Joost as her great love and sees him reflected in their children, Jordan and Kylie, every day.

The power of forgiveness

Forgiveness, she believes, is essential. “If you don’t forgive, you can’t move on.” Her support system, her mother Delyse, sisters Lorén and Ilana, brother-in-law Lennie, and close friend Helena Tarantino, has kept her grounded. In the episode, Delyse recalls meeting Joost and his admission that he was divorcing his first wife, and describes how Amor’s career once outshone his.

A battle with mental health

Amor also revealed her battle with depression, anxiety, and a dependency on sleeping pills in 2022. Overcoming that period, she says, is one of her most significant victories.

The hardest lesson

The lesson that took the longest to learn. “To forgive myself.”

Waar daar ’n wil is with guest Amor Vittone airs 9 December at 21:00 on kykNET (DStv 144) and on DStv Stream and Catch Up.