Reeva spoke glowingly of Oscar

2013-02-22 08:14

Reeva Steenkamp (Picture: AP)

Pretoria - Only seven days before she was killed, allegedly by her boyfriend, Reeva Steenkamp revealed how she respected and admired star athlete Oscar Pistorius.

The model and TV reality show contestant gave an interview to heat magazine, reported the Times Live.

The couple had only been going out a few months when she was shot dead early on Valentine’s Day in Pistorius’s home. The Paralympian was arrested following the shooting and is currently applying for bail.

Steenkamp told the magazine she respected and admired Pistorius and was worried about talking about their relationship to the media.

"So many celebrity couples end up all over the media and their relationships look like a publicity stunt. But with [Oscar and Reeva] it was different. Reeva was scared the media would taint their relationship," said heat editor Andre Neveling on Thursday.

Steenkamp is quoted in the article as saying: "I don't want anything coming in the way of [Oscar's] career. He's such an amazing athlete. I wouldn't want lies about us jeopardising it."

Neveling said they were going to do a cover shoot of the couple for the magazine’s April issue.

"It's really eerie how she was saying such amazing things about him and a week later she was dead," said Neveling.

He said the magazine had sent the article to Steenkamp’s closest friends before deciding to print it.

Neveling said some of the staff knew her and wouldn’t do anything to taint her memory.  

"She was about to blow up." he said. "That's what makes it so sad - she was going to be a big star."

The Steenkamp interview will appear in the magazine on Friday.

- News24