Survivor's Rupert loves SA
2005-06-23 11:55
Johannesburg - The gravedigger has eventually buried his fears.
Rupert Boneham, 41, popular contestant in the television reality series Survivor, had to go through two series of the programme before he realised that one does not have to be a super athlete or exceptional speaker to make your mark in life.
This is the message he wants to leave with young people in South Africa.
Boneham, a youth counsellor from America, who dug graves and served drinks in his younger days to stay alive, visited the country this week to prepare for a South African travel programme that he will host. Filming of the programme will start soon.
"My whole life, I felt like a fat, fearful boy - and that feeling was at its strongest during the filming of the Survivor programmes," he said.
"In the series, I tried to be the big, scary guy so that people would be too afraid to hurt me with their words."
With his booming voice and infectious laugh, Boneham obviously did not succeed. After Survivor: All Stars, the American public chose him as their favourite contestant and he won $1m for his efforts.
"After the series, my life changed radically. Suddenly, I was no longer afraid of what people thought of me and I made peace with who I am.
"This is the same potential I see in the eyes of hundreds of youths all over the world and I want to make the youth of South Africa understand that you do not need to get lost in the nine-to-five masses with suits and ties to achieve something.
"If a shy, overweight guy from Indianapolis can pitch up in jeans and a tank top at glamorous functions, anything is possible."
Boneham, his wife, Laura, and their six-year-old daughter, Raya, returned to America on Wednesday, but he said they all fell in love with South Africa's "wonderful democracy" and "beautiful scenery".
"My daughter said early on that she would like to live here, and, although it is not possible at present, I will definitely return soon," Boneham said.