Reeva on her love

22 February 2013 - 02:52 By PEARL BOSHOMANE
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Reeva Steenkamp. File photo.
Reeva Steenkamp. File photo.

In an interview Reeva Steenkamp gave to heat magazine a week before her death she spoke of her love for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, the man accused of murdering her.

The model, who was a contestant on the Tropika Island of Treasure reality show, told the publication that she respected and admired the athlete and was worried about exposing their budding romance to the media.

Heat editor Andre Neveling said yesterday: "So many celebrity couples end up all over the media and their relationships look like a publicity stunt.

"But with [Oscar and Reeva] it was different. Reeva was scared the media would taint their relationship."

In the interview, which hits newsstands today, Steenkamp says: "I don't want anything coming in the way of [Oscar's] career. He's such an amazing athlete . I wouldn't want lies about us jeopardising it."

Neveling said the couple were due to do a cover shoot for the magazine's April issue. They wanted to go public with the shoot and interview later in the year so that they could enjoy their relationship privately, he said.

"It's really eerie how she was saying such amazing things about him and a week later she was dead."

Asked whether the magazine had reservations about publishing the interview, Neveling said: "Of course, it's a sensitive subject . But we sent this article to a few of her closest friends and they said it was done beautifully and sensitively."

Neveling said some of the staff at heat knew Steenkamp well and would never do anything to taint her memory.

"She was about to blow up ." he said. "That's what makes it so sad - she was going to be a big star."

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