Pale is not saddened about being axed from Big Brother Mzansi. In fact, she says she's relieved to finally go back to her normal life. 

It showed, based on her reaction when host Lawrence Maleka announced on Sunday night that she would exit the house.

The 30-year-old, real name Palesa Motanyane, is the latest contestant to be voted off the 24/7 reality TV show – joining  Fahima, Neo, Sammy M, Mali and Bravo B.

The business development manager from Soweto plans to use the 15 minutes of fame she garnered from the show to venture into the culinary industry.

“I honestly didn’t plan to react the way I did. It was genuine excitement and an internal reaction to the fact that I was going back into the real world,” she said.

“This meant seeing my daughter and family, especially because I hadn’t been away from her for that long without any communication whatsoever.

“There were times where I fell into the routine of being in the house – and yes, Big Brother kept us entertained but that didn't stop me from pondering and missing my loved ones.”

Pale’s main reason for entering the show was to help secure a better future for her daughter and family. But she admits that she struggled in the house. “It’s always easier to look at something from the outside and think it’s easy to do but once you get in, you realise how tough it is,” she said. 

“You have to be emotionally and mentally strong… this is something I realised once I got inside the house. I kept doubting my decision almost every day. I thought I’d be able to stick it out for 71 days of not seeing or communicating with my daughter. In the same breath, four weeks of me being in there was way more than enough.” 

Pale said she walks away feeling fulfilled. “I’m going to take all these lemons that are on the socials [negative comments] and make nice lemonade with a slice of ginger and all the other flavourful garnishes by venturing into the culinary space,” she said. 

“People [viewers] spoke about my weight and how much I’d eat, but I don't think I ate more than the other housemates. Yes, I enjoyed cooking and I saw how much the other housemates liked my food, which gave me a thought that I should explore my options as a chef."

She is rooting for Mpumi to win this season. “Mpumi is very comfortable with who she is, which I admired the most. She owns who she is and knows how to switch it up when she has to,” she said.

“However, the people I fought with were Yolanda and Papa Ghost the most. My fights with Papa Ghost were short-lived. We’d fight one day and be decent the next. We just had a weird friendship. 

“My fights with Yolanda, on the other hand, were more intense. I think we both have strong personalities and that made us clash. She’s loud and I‘ve got a sharp tongue… I guess it was expected for people like us not to get along.”