Dark side of celebville in spotlight

HAVE you ever wondered how celebrities cope?

Well, author Dr Bongiwe Mali-Swelindawo has put it all in her book and gets deeper into the topic.She recently published a book titled How Does A Celeb Cope?

The author from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape spoke to Daily Sun about her new offering.

“The book takes you back to the evolution of any person whom we today observe as our celebrity, basking in all the perks and pleasures that come with being a well-known person of remarkable status. Contained within this, however, is the pressure that accompanies fame," Dr Bongiwe said.

“A celebrity’s life is full of aches and troubles from many people playing diverse roles in that celebrity’s life. Such struggles have the power to impair a celebrity’s upstanding behaviour and good judgment, which is undoubtedly detrimental to their well-being and hard-earned reputation. Irrespective the rough patches of sailing through stormy waters, a celebrity is expected to promote a sustainable brand and be a role model for their followers."

She said the book was inspired by her love for showbiz.

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“I have a unique gift of looking and analysing life circumstances beyond what everyone sees. Consequently, my inspiration comes from different people's dark life experiences, including celebrities.

“The media became one of the tools that provoked my inspiration. I follow celebrities’ lives through movies, reality shows, news, interviews and their social media contributions and controversies. Their different circumstances taught me a lot about their dark hours. The book is written to shed light on their dark spaces,” she said.

Dr Bongiwe said she didn’t speak to celebs for her book because she felt it would be biased.

“The book is written with public figures in mind. They can be musicians, actors, poets, comedians, dancers, radio or TV presenters, kings and queens, religious leaders as well as politicians. Through this book, they will navigate their tricky public figure journey with a sense of victory.

“The book wouldn't have provided authentic counsel and inspiration, if I had spoken to the celebrities. It would have been a bit biased too. No celebrity was involved in writing the book, but it's surprising that a few that read the book say they wish that ‘so and so’ reads the book,” she said.