‘Widows Unveiled’ cast member Lerato Maphatsoe. Image Supplied
‘It’s not easy’: Former defence minister’s wife on ‘Widows Unveiled’
‘I meet with him in the spirit world and he’s a different person’: Lerato Maphatsoe on picking up the pieces after losing her husband.
‘Widows Unveiled’ cast member Lerato Maphatsoe. Image Supplied
Lerato Maphatsoe, who is the wife of former and late Defence Minister Kebby Maphatsoe, opened up about her struggles after the death of her husband in the latest episode of Widows Unveiled.
LERATO MAPHATSOE ON LIFE AFTER LOSING HER HUSBAND
Lerato, who is also the co-executive producer of the Showmax reality series, was met with legal battles and extra-marital affair allegations after her husband’s passing in 2021. However, she had no choice but to pick up the pieces and provide stability for herself and their three children.
Asked if she’s concerned about what her in-laws will say about her participation in Widows Unveiled, Lerato confidently shares that she is not concerned as she and her in-laws do not have a relationship at the moment. Although she does mention that she still has a relationship with the wives of her late husband’s older brothers, as they have been a strong support structure in her life.
Continuing with the conversation about family, Lerato’s children are very much a part of the show, especially her son, Thabiso Maphatsoe.
COMING UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF ‘WIDOWS UNVEILED’
As the co-executive producer, her children were the first people she revealed the concept to and she explained to them why she needed to share her story with the world.
“I’m the one who came up with the concept [for the show]. I actually spoke to my children about everything and I told them that I needed a platform to offload about all that I’ve been through and that we needed to talk about these things – I’m not going to hide … my children are fine,” she says.
Although confident about wanting to be part of the project, Lerato is honest about the difficulties of the entire experience.
”Sharing the deepest, darkest secrets of my marriage and thinking to myself, some will ask while watching the show ‘why did she stay?’. Just reliving everything. It’s not easy. You don’t even know what you are getting yourself into. But I was like, ‘okay, I’m doing this,’ but I did not know the magnitude of the emotions. And now I’m filming with all these women and it was just draining, but it’s for a good cause.”
HOW HER LATE HUSBAND WOULD FEEL ABOUT THE SHOW
Considering that Widows Unveiled is also based on the life of her late husband, Lerato admits that if he was still alive, he probably would not have approved of her being a part of this project.
“When he was alive, maybe he was not going to approve. But now we’re talking, he’s no longer here. I’m a very spiritual person. I meet with him in the spirit world and he’s a different person. He has apologised numerous times to me saying ‘you know what, Lerato, I’m sorry’. So, I don’t think it will be a problem for him, for me to speak my truth in this show.”
