Photo: YOU/Huisgenoot
by Thinus Ferreira
M-Net has responded to the "sad reality" of the homeless The Bachelor South Africa star Lee Thompson found living on the streets of Cape Town, noting that some of its reality TV stars unfortunately do fall "into unfavourable circumstances years after the end of their association with our shows".
Meanwhile people are furious and calling Lee Thompson South Africa's "The Tinder Swindler" - a reference to the Netflix documentary - for his long-promised tell-all book The Truth Behind the Rose for which they have paid but not received anything or a refund.
On Friday Huisgenoot and YOU magazines in a jaw-dropping story with shocking photos, reported that South Africa's once desirable The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson is now apparently homeless in Cape Town.
It comes after he was evicted from a guest house in Buitenkantstreet that he rented at R300 a night since March this year, where he had allegedly caused damage and chaos, leaving filth in his wake from condoms and liquor bottles to a fire that was made in one of the rooms and which the owner described as "a nest" and a "pigsty".
Lee Thompson couldn't be reached for comment.
Lee Thompson was the first star of The Bachelor SA on M-Net (DStv 101) in 2019 but his image on social media on Instagram is far removed from how Huisgenoot and YOU magazine found him at the Safe Space shelter in Cape Town where he didn't want to talk to the magazine.
Since 2020 the former Sharks rugby player has promised to write a revealing tell-all memoir about he was allegedly manipulated by M-Net and Rapid Blue producers during the production of The Bachelor SA, with the book's publication which constantly got postponed although Lee Thompson took money as part of pre-orders from people interested to read it.
On Lee Thompson's Instagram account people are asking many questions, some related to the book. "What happened to your book that we all pre-ordered?" they want to know, with one saying "I paid for it ages ago, never came out. Such a scam."
"He has already scammed so many fans of money for his 'book'. Netflix should do a documentary on him," someone else noted.
M-Net told TVwithThinus on Saturday in a statement that "Our performers are at the
heart of who we are as storytellers. We are aware that the entertainment
industry can be overwhelming for some."
"The readjustment back to everyday life
once a show is wrapped is taken very seriously. As such, working with our
producers, we ensure that we give our stars robust support and tools to help
them reintegrate back into society and this has helped many to resume their
lives successfully."
"The sad reality is that not all manage to do so
sustainably, with some subsequently falling into unfavourable circumstances
years after the end of their association with our shows."
