Suzelle DIY (real name Julia Anastasopoulos) is a household name in South Africa.
While in Joburg to shoot the third season of "Most Ridiculous", which the 36-year-old actress is hosting, she popped by our offices for a podcast interview.
Bright eyed and bushy-tailed, she arrived 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. Even though it was still winter, she was in spring mode with her colourful outfit and matching accessories.
Her exuberance belied her manic week.
She admitted: “It’s been an intense week because we have been shooting. Even though I love Suzelle with all my heart, she is very high energy. To be in character and shoot intensive hours, it’s quite tough. But I’m still standing. Here we are. Today is our last day of shooting. And I love Joburg because I grew up here. Every time I come, I feel at home.”
Since finding fame on YouTube in 2014, Comedy Central approached her to do her skits for the channel and South Africa fell in love with the DIY darling.
Now, she’s back but in a different role. Instead of providing DIY tips, she’s watching a selection of funny YouTube videos, with a wonderful mix of homegrown personalities
Suzelle DIY. Picture: Supplied
She added: “This is really great because that’s Suzelle’s arena. What they‘ve done for season 3, they’ve really tried to weave a South African flavour into the show.”
Aside from commenting on the epic fails of hilarious videos, Suzelle and her guests share their own ridiculous experiences.
“It’s been so much fun. It’s such a broad variety of guests. We’ve had comedians, rugby personalities, TV personalities and, oh gosh, so many. Schalk Bezuidenhout, who is my best and Jason Goliath. We have Peter de Villiers.
"I would never in my wildest dreams think I would meet people like this. Watching funny videos and stupid people hurting themselves is kind of a weird thing to do with someone you don’t know. It was a lot of fun, though. Some of the guests were just brilliant.”
Who was the craziest?
She laughed: “Amor Vittone was absolutely crazy. She was the craziest. Jack Parrow was pretty up and there and Jason goliath. And the stories, let’s just say, they went there… I was thinking, are we going to put this in the show or are we going to edit them out.”
When asked about how different she is from Suzelle, the actress said: “Look, there’s a lot of similarities with me and Suzelle and there are lots of differences. In terms of my fashion sense, I don’t walk around like this in my everyday life.
"But I love that Suzelle gives me the opportunity to dress up and shop for outrageous costume jewellery. I love that she brings colour to my life because my everyday wardrobe is not this at all. I’m more like a comfort girl. I’m in jeans. I’m in sneakers. I wear grey and black most of the time.”
Thankfully, she gets to enjoy the best of both worlds while also juggling motherhood.
Listen to the podcast below:
“Her name is Zoe. She just turned one. We are in a new phase of busyness; she unpacks the bookshelves and empties the grocery cupboards. It’s really keeping me on my toes,” she said.
"Most Ridiculous 3" airs on Comedy Central (DStv Channel 122) every Monday at 9.30pm.