''I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE,'' Joost said - and later: ''I fell hard on my ass.''
In the wide-ranging interview - I was the first to break the news that Kwêla got the Joost exclusive - host Coenie de Villiers didn't hold back on his probing questions.
Joost seemed emotional. His voice was sometimes-shaky and he looked somewhat-fatigued. He admitted that he HAS LOST 13 kg.
''It was a rough week,'' he said, ''but it was my own fault. It's a fight I have to fight and I will get to the other side.''
Joost van der Westhuizen told Coenie that he is sitting in the live interview ''in shame'' and that he was ''humiliated''. ''I want to apologize for what I did to that woman [Amor, his wife] and to the people. I wrote this book for my two children. I can't expect my two children to be honest if I'm not honest with them and their mother.''
''I'm asking for forgiveness right here on Kwêla. This is my life. I led it wrongly. I want to make it right. These things happen to make me a better person, not a bitter person. I want to walk out of this a better guy. I'm a man. I made mistakes. I got caught. Now I have to make it right. There is just one road and that is the truth. My message is simple: Don't live a lie.''
He almost became emotional talking about his wife and children later during the 15 minute interview.
''I can still lose my wife and children. She is still very raw. She is still in a lot of pain. What I'm going through is the worst of times and she still stands with me. She is a remarkable woman. I ask myself: How could you have done this Joost? I get it now: People thought I was arrogant and windgat. Yes I was. But I never knew it. I fell hard on my ass.''
