As a youngster, TV presenter, Ewan Strydom never dreamed of being on camera, instead, he was a shy and insecure teenager who hid from the world.
Fast forward 10 years later, he’s become one of the best presenters in the entertainment space gaining most of his fame from the daily SABC3 breakfast show, "Expresso" which he spent 8 and a half years on.
Recently, Strydom announced his exit from the show saying that he felt like he needed more growth. "My time on Expresso was unforgettable,phenomenal, exciting, nerve wrecking and life altering. In this industry the minute you feel you are not growing then it’s a good idea to start moving forward. I tried to listen to my gut on this one but moving on after eight and a half years on "Expresso" was the right decision for me at this point of my career," said Strydom about the decision to leave the show.
Although Strydom isn’t giving away much information about what lies ahead for him, he has said that his TV career is far from over. "At this stage I am not unveiling much, but I do have a couple of things. My TV career is certainly not done and dusted. TV is my first love and that is what I will always chase, so I’ve got something in the pipeline which I will reveal pretty soon, so watch my social media," he said.
Strydom was a veteran on Expresso and leaves behind Katlego Maboe, Zoë Brown, Leigh-Anne Williams and Graeme Richards, all of whom who were saddened by his departure from the show.
"I've had a phenomenal team. The on-screen guys are like family. They are people that you can rely on, trust and talk to when you are feeling down or happy. We are all so encouraging of each other to make sure we get the best experience out of every single morning we are together. we really became a close knit bunch of people working together," he said.
Looking back at some of the highlights during his time on "Expresso," Strydom was unable to pick just one that stood out for him. "After so many years on the show there have been so many people that pulled through like incredible South African bands to people doing amazing things, it’s been such a melting pot of amazing people that I’ve worked with," said Strydom.
Other highlights he included was him stepping onto a live TV platform and travelling overseas for work and watching his peers grow.
“Another highlight for me was definitely stepping onto a live TV platform as a fresh face in the presenting industry, it was a huge experience to be able to train myself up and evolve into one of the best live TV presenters - and I say that with confidence because there's not a lot of people that can actually keep pace with the way we work on Expresso. I also had the opportunity to travel to the French Alph, Christmas markets in Munich and also the Christmas experiences in London. All were incredible experiences. And just to see my peers have grown alongside me and doing some phenomenal things,” he said.
While Strydom dished out advice for up and coming TV presenters, he reflected on his life before the lights and cameras.
“The entertainment industry chooses you-if I take a look at my journey and where I come from, this is definitely not something I envisioned for myself when I was a youngster. I was a very shy, insecure teenager and for me hiding from the world was pretty much my priority. So if its meant to be, it’s going to happen for you,” he said.