Bridges 'dumped via SMS'
2005-12-09 22:06
Patensie - It is believed that singer Sunette Bridges was dumped by her "dream man" via SMS, only days before their intended marriage.
Friday, after the report of the cancelled wedding of Bridges and Van Jaarsveld, Die Burger received a telephone call from a close friend of both Bridges and Van Jaarsveld.
The caller, who preferred to remain anonymous, said Van Jaarsveld had sent Bridges an SMS message two days before her personal belongings would have arrived at the Longkloof farm, telling her that the engagement was off.
"Although Sunette is very upset she is handling the break-up very well.
One cannot twist the arm of the Lord
"I feel sorry for her because she really is a lovely person and she was looking forward so much to become an resident of the Eastern Cape.
"All her belongings were packed and she was ready to move.
"Her children were looking forward to the adventure of living on a farm.
"But now Skip has dropped her like a hot potato."
According to the friend some of van Jaarsveld's family members had been meeting in small prayer groups, praying that the wedding with Bridges would not take place.
Van Jaarsveld's mother, Mary, confirmed that many prayers had been held regarding the planned van Jaarsveld/Bridges betrothal.
'Dropped like a hot potato'
"I'm not ashamed to say that I prayed and that it was not only me but that the whole of South Africa was praying with me.
"I can also say in all honesty that I never prayed anything bad against Sunette; only that the will of the Lord would be done.
"I mean, one cannot twist the arm of the Lord," she said Friday.
Van Jaarsveld said she did not know whether her son did in fact jilt Bridges per SMS "but this has been coming a long time".
In the meantime the residents of the Gamtoos Valley in the Longkloof made no bones about the fact that they think the van Jaarsveld family heaved a sigh of relief when they heard that the intended wedding was finally off.
Van Jaarsveld himself told Die Burger on Friday that his family had nothing to with the break-up.
"The decision was mine and mine alone to make and, after having had serious thoughts about the whole situation for the past month, I realised that Sunette was not the woman for me."
However, van Jaarsveld refused on Friday to comment any further.
But another resident of the valley, who spoke to Die Burger on Friday, said van Jaarsveld looked as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"The coming wedding placed him under tremendous pressure.
"One of Sunette's previous (many) mothers-in-law did phone van Jaarsveld's mother and warned her against her daughter-in-law to be."
A female friend of Bridges said that she had already sold her house in Pretoria and that she now intended to live with her mother, Leonie, until such time as she had found a house that she can rent.
It was still not possible to make contact with Bridges on Friday to obtain comment.