LISTEN | Mam’ Angie: Growing up in a GBV environment allowed me to help others

Angie Diale is known as Mzansi's counsellor, with requests to fix everything from people's relationships to the country's service delivery issues.

She told TshisaLIVE that many of her own life lessons came from growing up in a toxic environment in which gender-based violence was rampant.

The Please Step In host recounted how her father assaulted her mother and would bring his girlfriend into the home.

Seeing the pain it caused in her family, Mam' Angie helped her mother to leave.

“I said to my mom: 'You need to leave this man. He will kill you.' I stole my mother's ID out of my father's pocket when he was drunk and sleeping so she could get a divorce. The charity work I do is because of my mother and father.”

Here is what she had to say: 

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She said before her father died, he asked for her forgiveness.

“He got sick and asked for me to come, to reconcile with me and my mother and ask forgiveness for everything he did. He died that same day. That shaped me to be empathetic and taught me to realise every human's beginning will affect their future unless they decide to deal with the pain, hurt or anger.”

The star also dished out wisdom on some of the issues faced by celebs over the last few weeks, from fat-shaming to colourism and dealing with social media in a relationship.

Weighing in on fat-shaming, Mam' Angie recounted how she had been targeted about her weight.

“I have a tummy and everyone who sees me on TV, the people I grew up with, will say: 'You are so fat. Are you pregnant?' I tell them that I am over 60 and had a lot of pregnancies. I am comfortable where I am at. Also, don't forget I am on ARVs. When I am ready to deal with the weight and have the time, I will focus on it”.