Former Helderkruin resident shares Bachelor SA

To find love on a reality television show might sound absurd to a lot of people, but the 27-year-old Gillian Seetso saw it as an opportunity and a challenge.

Gillian grew up in Helderkruin and attended Laerskool Jozua Naudé and Hoërskool Roodepoort. She described herself as a low-key, competitive go-getter who is not afraid to express herself.

“Growing up, I tried my hand at almost everything; I played netball, did athletics, choir and Pom-Poms, and I was a VSR member in matric. I was a Girl Guide and Ranger, because I believe a girl should know how to survive in the wild. After school I went to study in Potchefstroom, but couldn’t complete my studies because of financial reasons. I also had the wonderful opportunity to live in California for three years,” she said.

She added that she loves spending time with her mother and friends, travelling, watching television, cooking, baking and just living life.

“I like that my story is a story of many and that I can tell it. I am comfortable in my own skin, even though it took me over 22 years to accept myself. I speak Afrikaans, English and Tswana, I am loving, caring, full of jokes and I laugh 99,9 per cent of the time.”

Some of the things she dislikes, include dishonest people, avocados, snakes, and said, “And I am allergic to cats by choice”.

Gillian, who is a Bids and Proposal Coordinator with her own beauty, natural hair and travelling YouTube channel, decided to enter The Bachelor SA because online dating was not working for her as people tend not to be truthful.

“So I thought, what is the worst that could happen?” she said.

Before she knew it, she was one of 22 women who would be competing for the heart of Marc Buckner in the second season of the reality show.

“I went into this journey with no expectation and open-minded. What I knew about Marc was based on what I saw in adverts, and I told myself that I wasn’t going to stalk him on social media as I didn’t want to pre-judge him.”

She described Marc as funny (but in a good way), caring, a good listener and semi-affectionate.

“He is a tall vanilla latte who really tried to keep everyone happy,” she added.

“Gillian said that most of the time she spent with Marc on the show was during group dates, which she enjoyed very much.

“Some dates that stood out for me was the car date (as I could prove everyone wrong), the extra time after the train date, the chemistry date, the bungee jumping date and then of course my one-on-one date.

I have never been on a date, especially not one of that magnitude, and it is something I will never forget.”

Living in a house with a number of other women competing for the attention and affection of one man took its toll on her.

“In the mansion, we were like in a ‘bachelor bubble’ so we talked about Marc, got to know the girls, heard about the girls’ dates, made breakfast together, ate popcorn, played games, helped each other with hair, make-up and grooming. And being isolated from family and friends really took a toll since we didn’t have access to our phones.”

Cocktail parties and rose ceremonies always made her nervous, “So one is never safe, except when you get a rose prior to the cocktail party. I made sure that when Marc and I spoke, we built on our last conversation and did not discuss the other women.

Rose ceremonies are the worst because goodbyes are never easy. Being rejected is worse, so I tried to keep positive and tell myself that if it’s my time, it’s my time.”

Her goodbye came in episode 13, after being in the Top 4 and Marc visiting her hometown to meet her mother.

Marc’s reasons for letting her go confused her, as he said he felt that she was hiding information from him, and he believed that their attraction waned after the home visit.

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Gillian said she would recommend entering the show for those who are mentally strong and doing it for the right reasons – to find love, not fame.

“I am quite a strong person and I usually smile throughout anything I face in life, but this show really tested me.”

She concluded by saying, “People are so quick to say on social media that the women are desperate, forgetting that the bachelor is also looking for love. So before throwing comments, take a step back and remember we are humans too.”