It drained me: Sonia Booth opens up about ‘hellish’ divorce

Businesswoman and former TV star Sonia Booth has spoken out about her recent divorce from her former soccer legend husband Matthew Booth, revealing the emotional toll the process took on her.

The divorce, finalised less than two months ago, followed a highly publicised separation in 2022 after Booth exposed her husband's infidelity on social media.

“It was a year and five months of legal battles, heavily contested and nasty. It drained me emotionally, physically and financially. But I think all that was necessary because I was not about to settle under terms that were going to come back to bite me later in life,” Sonia said in an interview with Radio 2000.

“It's been quite a rollercoaster ride. I'm grateful for the support system I have because, had it not been for that, I wouldn't be sitting here today. I think I would've been in a mental institution, or I would have died, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.”

While being admitted to the ICU was one of the worst experiences to happen to her, she said the divorce process felt like hell.

“I thought surviving the ICU was the worst experience. No, it was not. The past year and five months have been. If I ever needed to know what hell looks or feels like, I've been there and come out of it. What you see now is a phoenix, and there's no stopping because I've been through it. I've been through the fire, and the fact that I came out of it alive from the ashes means you've got another force you have to put up with,” she said.

Despite going through a challenging divorce, she maintains a positive outlook.

“All I experienced in the past year and five months happened for my own good. I believe everything happens for a reason, and it was all to strengthen me, to test my faith and to see how well-anchored I am.

“It happened for me to see what an incredible support system I have. I'm speaking about my mother and aunts. My sons have been an incredible source of strength. Having my boys show me the love they do, not once have they ever judged me. They love me unconditionally and remind me daily of what an incredible mother I am. That keeps me alive.”

In November 2022 Sonia shared posts detailing how Matthew had allegedly been cheating on her for almost a year with his mistress. She hired a private investigator, who confirmed her initial suspicions.

The infamous cheesecake story was the biggest revelation at the time. Matthew had baked a cheesecake at night, but in the morning it was gone. Sonia said he had baked it for his mistress. Sonia left the cake carrier on the garage floor where he parked to show him she knew about the alleged infidelity.

Using her pain as motivation, the mother of two decided to capitalise on the cheesecake saga. She launched her business called Marula Cheesecake Passion, offering liqueur-infused ice cream, frozen yogurt, and alcoholic popcorn.

“The lemons were thrown in my direction, and I took the lemons and made lemonade,” she said.

“It was a no-brainer. Everybody who talks about me doesn't finish a sentence until they mention cheesecake. The word cheesecake was trending not only in South Africa, not only in Africa, but worldwide. People living in New York and Massachusetts were sending me messages of support.”