The general consensus is that celebrity marriages never last. Those that do are the exception.
But this one seems a little more doomed than the rest.
One may ask what the chances of a successful marriage are when the husband is more than 20 years older than his wife, his resume as an actor boasts of his success both on TV and on stage, domestically and internationally.
And the assumption is that she is just an ordinary girl from the township with a PR company, who managed to secure the bag by getting herself a famous sugar daddy.
That's the general perception about Solo, as she's affectionately known by her more intimate friends.
South Africans know Pearl as the gold-digging young wife of one of the country's most beloved actors, Sello Maake ka Ncube.
But what many people don't know, is that she was a solid player in the PR industry way before she met her famous husband. She had a long list of clients she was managing which is what prompted the great "Archie Moroka" to want to work with her in the first place.
Twenty-one years. That's the age difference between Pearl and her husband. She even calls him Ntate Sello. Since their relationship was announced, many have asked what possible connection could they really have?
If not only as eye candy on Sello's arm, what value could she really bring into his life?
She's tall-ish, young and pretty, slim with Double D's to rival any swimwear model on a men's magazine. Sounds like the perfect combo for any 60-year-old man going through a midlife crisis but can't afford a red convertible sports car.
The pair entered into their civil marriage on 30 October 2021 and since then, everyone has been waiting for the divorce announcement because he’s been married twice before. Many have even compared him to The Lion King’s Lebo M.
Last year, news reports came out saying that he had failed to finish paying lobola and that they were separated. Recently, the media has revealed that he has consulted with divorce lawyers because he wants out of the marriage.
Sello now speaks exclusively to Drum to say, despite reports, he is not divorcing his wife.
“There’s no divorce process,” he insists.
“Ayikho indlu enganelwayo. People look at me because of the celebrity status, but the reality is that I am human, and I go through problems like other people. What was blown out of proportion is a couple having a disagreement.”
Sello says he does not want to be drawn into commenting about people who say his marriage was doomed from the start because he is too old for his wife and that she is a gold-digger.
“People have their opinions and I do not live according to other people’s opinions of my life. People will always talk, and there is nothing I can do about that. Another thing I will not do is keep on explaining my personal life to the world.
“For me, it is more than about being happy with Pearl. It’s about being happy about with the decision I took to be with her. It’s the commitment.
He says he has not been fired from any job.
“It’s the nature of contracts. Some are renewed, and others aren’t. I was not the ambassador of the insurance company, I was involved in a particular campaign that has come to an end, giving way to the next one.
“About the Champions character, it was written that way to set up the storyline. If I use the example of The Queen, Harriet Khoza’s husband died on the very first episode. That was his character setting up the storyline.”
On the allegation of him being in relationships with an American woman, he says “everybody has a past".
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According to Pearl, last November they were in Burkina Faso to celebrate her birthday and that this year, when he supposedly was seeing divorce lawyers, he bought her a new car.
“I found out from a journalist that I was getting a divorced. Ntate Sello must be the happiest man to get a divorce that he bought his wife a car in the same month. I have not heard anything from my husband about a divorce.
“I think it’s important for me to start at the beginning. My husband has paid 95% of the lobola amount. The balance is not paid because umfazi akaqedwa.
“He has a house in Soweto. I have a house in Grobler Park. We have a joint property in Blue Valley, Centurion. We are currently living between two of the residences, together because of renovations in Blue Valley. But that is going to change very soon. Our houses are 15 minutes apart.”
Pearl says since they got married, they have not separated.
“Marriage is marriage. Ours is not unique to the challenges that other people face in their marriage. The only major thing being that he is a public figure.”
She says the lawyers he allegedly met with in January are conveyancers helping them with two properties they are in the process of buying.
“A lot has been said about our marriage that I would like to address. There have been people who have said I got him fired from some of his jobs. It is a sad coincidence that his partnership with Budget ended now as these rumours are circulating.
“His contract with Budget was not terminated, it ended because it was a 12-month contract. And he is still shooting Champions for Mzansi Magic.
“But I must say this though, I do his PR and so I get a percentage from all of his gigs. Sabotaging him means sabotaging my business. Also, what kind of company would Budget be if they listened to a disgruntled wife and fires someone working on one of their campaigns.
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“As for Champions, we have no control on character development. Production gets to decide when characters dies, if they die. So, we cannot comment on that. But whatever happens with that character, it has nothing to do with his performance because he is killing that role.”
She says she is not the gold-digger people paint her out to be.
“I wish I was a gold-digger. I hear they live soft and comfortable lives. I work very hard for everything I have. I have been in the industry for about 18 years, and I knew exactly what I was getting into when I married him, I knew my privacy would fly out the window.
“I do not have daddy issues. My husband is the only older man I have ever been with, I have always been with my peers. I got married to the soul, personality and the person, not the age. He has never cheated on me and I have never cheated on him, he is all the man I need.
Mzansi Magic has confirmed that he has not been fired from Champions.
"Sello Maake kaNcube is currently still shooting with the Champions production.”
Drum has been reliably told the leadership at Tshedza Pictures is very happy with Sello.
“Everyone knows he can act, so his performance can never be in question. His professionalism is what sets him apart. He is amazing to work with and production could not be happier with him,” the insider says.
