Cindy-Lee Burrell. (Foto: Cindy-Lee Burrell/Facebook)
On my demand! ‘s Cindy-Lee Burrell candidly admits that she may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that she would much rather be her true self than create a dishonest image of herself.
She is one of the more sensational participants in the programme, which this time follows former rugby player Ruan Smith in his search for love. However, she didn’t plan on trying to find love on the box at all.
“I’m not someone who finds men easily. It’s not a case of me walking into a place and there are only men and numbers around me. My sister forwarded the link to me to On my demand! to enroll, but it was actually an impulsive decision to enroll,” she tells Maroela Media in her home in Kempton Park.
Her two cats jump on the table every now and then for some attention. She then screams and says: “I told you to behave yourself!”
Cindy-Lee confesses that she sent in her entry while she was lying in the bath, and that she simply used a video on her TikTok page for it. The idea of making a special video was too bad for her.
“At least he looked cute. I told myself that if I wasn’t chosen and he was still single, I was going to go man hunting after the show,” she jokes.
She and Ruan hit it off immediately. It was as if they had known each other for years, although they had never met before. Some of Cindy-Lee’s friends have even asked her if they don’t already know each other.
However, it is one of those friendships where two people just understand each other, she says.
“It’s rare that you meet someone and immediately get along. It’s like our souls connect have. He and I don’t need to talk to each other; we can only look at each other then we know what the other is thinking.”
She says that’s why she sometimes came across as cocky in the first few episodes when she said she wasn’t going home. She knew that the friendship needed to be explored further and was sure he was aware of that as well.
Cindy-Lee’s path in life was not always easy and without obstacles. Her parents lived in a caravan in Durban when she was born. The family later moved to Centurion, where she was bullied especially during her primary school years. So much so that she did everything in her power to be in a different high school than those who targeted her.
She already started working in a bar at the age of 14 to support her mother financially. Her parents had long been divorced by then, and her father was living in Richards Bay at that time.
(Foto: Cindy-Lee Burrell/Facebook)
“At the end of my grade 9 year, I went to visit my father and realized that life doesn’t have to be so difficult. I could just go to school and stop stressing about money. My mother was furious with me when I asked her if I could go live with my father.”
There she ended up moving in with her grandmother, who lived opposite the school. Her father was on a farm, so she could not commute to school every day.
“My grandmother is an angry aunt. She straightened me out,” says Cindy-Lee, who for some time often got into trouble due to rebellious behavior. She ended up doing very well academically by the time she wrote her matric, and was also able to study after school through Unisa.
“I realized that I wanted to make something of my life. I wanted to study. I wanted to be successful.”
This determination followed her throughout her life. She has modeled for a long time and is also now at the helm of her own modeling school. A few years ago she also started participating in fitness competitions and was determined to participate in the national finals, so that she could go to the world championship.
However, it was during her preparation for this very national competition that her body gave out. She woke up one day and knew something was drastically wrong.
This led to a long struggle to find out what was wrong. She was in and out of the hospital for two years, and each time it was disappointing. No one had answers.
“I was like a zombie in my own house. I slept and basically became a recluse, because I felt so bad all the time.”
After many doctor and hospital visits, she took it into her own hands to find out what was wrong. Finally, after months of toil and sweat, there was a diagnosis: Addison’s disease.
Addison’s disease is a rare but serious hormonal condition that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the essential hormones cortisol and sometimes aldosterone.
These hormones play a key role in the body’s response to stress, blood pressure control, salt balance and energy levels. Symptoms often develop slowly and can include extreme fatigue, weight loss, low blood pressure, a craving for salt and a characteristic dark discoloration of the skin. Because the symptoms can easily be confused with other conditions, they are sometimes not diagnosed until late, as in Cindy-Lee’s case.
Untreated, it can lead to a life-threatening Addison’s crisis, but with the right hormone replacement therapy, people with Addison’s disease can live a full and active life.
“I didn’t walk around with this diagnosis on my sleeve during the filming of the series. It’s not who I am – I decided that a long time ago. I’m not going to let it rule my life.
(Foto: Cindy-Lee Burrell/Facebook)
“I often started to feel bad while we were shooting, but then I just took a pill and went on. People also probably think I drink too much, but I don’t. There are long periods of time when not even a single drop of alcohol passes my lips.”
What was challenging for her were the stressful situations she got into time and time again during the filming of the show. She must ensure at all times that she does not stress too much, as her body does not react normally to it and can go into shock.
“I realized a long time ago that I could die any day. There were so many moments in the hospital when I thought that now was the time, but it didn’t happen. I’m not backing down, I’m going to live my life to the fullest, because I’m well aware that tomorrow may not come.”
However, if there’s one thing Cindy-Lee takes comfort in, it’s the fact that she’s unashamedly herself. She won’t pretend, and people can always count on her to tell the raw and honest truth.
“I am who I am. People aren’t always going to like me, but I’m not going to pretend to be someone else just so Ruan has to find out what really lies beneath the ‘beautiful’ surface.”
- On my demand! is broadcast every Thursday evening at 20:00 on kykNET, DStv channel 144.