According to SowetanLIVE, Kelly Khumalo and Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo’s friendship was once put to the test when‚ during her battle with drugs‚ Kelly showed up his door asking for petrol. Reflecting on her turbulent past and highly-publicised battle with drug addiction‚ Kelly told Metro FM DJ Fresh that she had approached Somizi for help.
“He said to me: ‘No. I’m not giving you the petrol. I am actually giving you R300 to get petrol and go straight home’.”
Somizi‚ who co-hosts the breakfast show with Fresh‚ said he had even offered her a hot meal because he saw that she wanted to overcome her addiction.
“I have seen her go through that (drug addiction). I remember she used to come to my house. At one point I even said‚ ‘You’re not leaving. I’m cooking and you’re eating and this is it.’ That day I realised that she wanted to be helped‚ not like she is tricking me‚” said Somizi.
Reflecting on her lowest point‚ Kelly said that she remembered planning to go grocery shopping with her son‚ only to hallucinate the entire experience.
“I got so high that I was standing in one place. In my mind‚ I thought that I was at the mall already …. Four hours later‚ I am still in my living room‚ my son is playing and my sister is in her room. I was like ‘why am I not at the mall?’.”
“I thought I was moving but I was still in the same place. I kept asking my sister the same question over and over. I felt like I was losing my mind‚” she said.
That made her realise she had a problem. After a long battle‚ she gave up her addiction and has been clean for five years. “When things happen to you it is for you to learn and to build the character within yourself‚” she said.