According to this mother of two, who turned 40 this week, you’re only as old as
you feel.
“So many of my friends who have reached the 40 mark constantly say to me: ‘Wait till you reach 40; it’s all downhill from there. You’re going to put on weight, your eyesight is gonna go’ - I’ve been told all these things that are going to happen to me, but I feel like this is going to be an amazing decade for me.”
Far from living in fear, the former beauty queen is embracing the inevitability of growing older. “As women, we shy away from our age, we have this fear of getting old. If you think you are old, you will be old - and for me, I’m still 20 and I’m just getting started.”
A day before the Divas of Jozi star jetted off to one of her favourite destinations for a pre-party vacation with family and close friends, she revealed her excitement about the trip that husband Vivian Reddy had planned in Mauritius.
Sorisha Naidoo. Picture: Supplied
“It’s a surprise from Vivian, which is amazing because Mauritius is one of my favourite places - it’s not too fancy, it’s very relaxed, it’s just a place to unwind.” Though her birthday is on October 24, the celebration is taking place today, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in uMhlanga Ridge.
“It’s the first time that I’m planning my birthday. It’s normally a surprise, but for this specific birthday I have full involvement It’s a not a sit-down or formal event; it’s in the garden
“It’s like a whimsical garden party. You can eat at any time, walk around.
“It’s a magical food experience where people can have fun and laugh. I’m trying not to have anything structured, so it’s informal and very relaxed.”
Other than her aesthetic clinics in uMhlanga and Chatsworth and her import and export business, Sorisha revealed that she has two more business ventures up her sleeve.
Sorisha Naidoo. Picture: Supplied
She is going into the restaurant business, and she beams with excitement about her new chesa nyama launching next month.
“I’m busy opening a restaurant in uMhlanga, my first dabble in this kind of industry, but I’m very excited about it because my roots are in the hotel industry, being a PR manager for a hotel many years ago, and the calling has come back.
“It’s chesa nyama, which will officially open on November 15.”
With chesa nyamas being popular, what will be different about this one?
She laughs and asks if I know she’s vegetarian. “I don’t know if you know that I’m vegetarian and I don’t drink right so everyone is like how does it work? How does a vegetarian open a chesa nyama?
Sorisha Naidoo. Picture: Supplied
“When we shot Divas of Jozi, I went to two chesa nyamas, one in Cape Town, one in Johannesburg. At both these chesa nyamas, lamb and chicken were not separated from the beef. So if I was Hindu, I would still not be able to eat it because we don’t eat beef. To make it worse, I was vegetarian. So, there was literally only chakalaka and pap for me.
“The concept is different, in that I’m including everyone. There will be a grill for chicken and lamb, a beef grill, then a vegetarian grill, so whoever comes to my restaurant must be well catered for.
“That’s my project at the moment, and I’m excited.”
She’s also expanding her TV resumé with a brand-new reality show.
“I just finished producing a reality show with my partner. We invested the money, shot the pilot and I loved it. It was a beautiful experience because I realised how much I love being behind the scenes.”
Watch out for the reality show by early 2018 at the latest.
So, how does she juggle work with being a wife and a mother?
“I wake up at 4.30 every morning without fail, Monday to Friday. I wake up, plan my day, sort out everything kids-related. I do lunches. I have two wonderful nannies but I feel obligated as a mom to prepare lunch for my kids because they have different palates.
“I also drive them to school - I get a chance to do a little prayer, a bit of catch-up. Those two hours in the morning are like a gift from God!”
What does she do to relax? “My ultimate relaxing day is Sunday, when I wake up just after 6, then stay in my pyjamas till 11 to 12.
“I read, catch up on everything I’ve missed on TV during the week. I have five dogs, two kids, so we have our catch-up sessions.”