Cape Town - Comedian Trevor Noah, controversially named the new host of the The Daily Show, has reportedly separated from his long-term Cape Town girlfriend, Dani Gabriel.
The split was revealed by The Daily Mail on Friday, with the publication reporting that he’d left behind the physiotherapist to pursue his American dream.
The pair apparently had a heart-to-heart about his future.
The two had known each other for four years, and began dating early last year. The comedian was smitten with the brunette, who travelled by his side on tour.
But, following behind-the-scenes talks earlier this year with Comedy Central, the producers of The Daily Show, it was clear that Noah’s career was about to take off in a big way internationally.
Noah was back in Cape Town for his Lost in Translation comedy tour last month, and it’s likely that was when he and Gabriel had a heart-to-heart talk.
Self-employed Gabriel, 28, runs her own physiotherapy practice in Cape Town, and her family is there.
A source close to Noah said: “Dani is an ex-girlfriend. They decided to go their separate ways. They split a few months ago, but are still friends.”
Despite the split, Gabriel is still supportive of Noah. She told the publication: “Yes, he’s going through this huge transition, but at the end of the day he’s not a celebrity to me, and he’s never treated himself like that, and I don’t treat him like that.”
Gabriel refused to discuss the split. She said: “I don’t need to show my support publicly for Trevor. It doesn’t need validating to anybody else besides me and him.”
But it’s clear Gabriel has struggled with the split, keeping her Facebook status as “in a relationship”, and maintaining a picture of the couple kissing on her homepage wall.
Independent on Saturday