The 41-year-old actress-turned-producer recently opened up on why it took 5 years to complete the show and how she overcame depression. Sonia claims that she wanted to bring the Real Housewives franchise to South Africa back in 2014 but her then-partners abused the fact that she was going through a messy breakup.
Mbele ended up being downgraded from producer to attending to the tasks of an intern, reports Briefly. After putting all the work together of getting the cast and building the show, she revealed she decided to walk away from her dream than to be used from her then-partners.
"I was no longer producer but told I needed to make coffee for people, hang curtains, move boxes and basically do the work of an intern. That is not what I had signed up to do," she told Briefly. "I was supposed to deal with bigger issues, but I was made to deal with broken doorknobs. Those people truly mistreated me. I decided f*** this, I went home and handed in my resignation letter."
"I was then told, ‘No, you’re not resigning, you’re fired’. When everyone heard I’d walked away, they all pulled out and that’s how the first attempt of RHOJ failed," she explained.
After the first failed attempt of RHOJ, Sonia revealed she her depression got worst. She revealed that things escalated so bad that her depression ended up affecting her children as she ended up neglecting them.
Sonia reveals that their caretaker ended up looking after her children as she was in no condition to do so at that time. Eventually, she drove herself to a mental hospital, with the help of a friend, who stayed with her to show her support.
"We got into the car and while on the highway I felt like I was losing my mind. I drove myself to the nearest mental hospital. I was rambling on and on when a nurse came to me. That woman was my saving grace," she explained.
When the nurse asked her if she wanted to be admitted, Sonia revealed "I had a vision of myself in an institution, standing at a window and watching my children play outside – being trapped in a room, unable to go anywhere or move. I don’t know what happened, but I became determined to work hard on pulling myself out of the depression," she said.
5 years later and a successful first season of RHOJ, Sonia is living her best moment as a mother and a producer of RHOJ.
"I have a beautiful, warm, happy home for my kids. I am doing what I love and find joy in waking up every morning. This year everything erupted – it’s the year of the volcano for me. Motherhood hasn’t been easy, but it has been pleasurable," she told Briefly, adding, "I’m at peace, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done and my sleeves are rolled up."
Photo Credit: 1Magic
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