Karlien van Jaarsveld under fire over divorce

Strictly Come Dancing winner Karlien van Jaarsveld has been at the centre of a debate on her Facebook page after announcing she’ll be divorcing former Springbok Derick Hougaard.

The Afrikaans singer posted a heartfelt message on Facebook yesterday telling her followers about the couple’s split.

The post, which was in Afrikaans, stated that she had wanted to share the news but was not sure how to do it. She said it was a difficult time and that she hoped people would respect her and her husband.

However, respect was the last thing on some fans’ minds. Many said they were shocked by the announcement, and encouraged the singer to continue to work on her marriage. One person wents as far as saying – in Afrikaans – that the couple must “sort their nonsense out”. Others made biblical references.

This outraged other people who responded with words of support. They felt that Van Jaarsveld should ignore those who were giving her a hard time, and said these people should mind their own business.