Doonside model hopes to bring positivity to the world

The Citizen

28-04-2025

DOONSIDE resident Jeanne-Marie Claassens, 36, recently got back into modeling to bring an air of positivity into a world with so much negativity spreading like a wildfire, and she is now a finalist in this year's Mrs Umhlanga KZN competition.
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The mother of three, with a fourth on the way, said, 'We hear and read so much about all the negative things happening and not much about the good. By winning this competition, I hope to empower young girls and women by showing that whether you are a mother or a single woman, you can do anything you put your mind to.'
Claassens lives with her fiancé Quintin Smuts, who she works with at his company, and their children. She added that Smuts is supportive and caring, and that when her children are happy, she is happy.
'Being a mother is a full-time job and sometimes you have to keep at it even when you're tired and can't keep up. I am lucky to have Quintin who understands that with modeling, photoshoots can take hours, so sometimes when I'm done with a shoot, I work from home. A saying I learnt from my children is 'I don't know how I do it, I just do it',' said Claassens.
She explained that campaigning against gender-based violence is a cause close to her heart. She also advocates to keep girls in school, as so many do not have the opportunity to stay in school.
In her spare time, she loves to relax with a good book. Claassens loves new challenges because it pushes her to think outside the box.
Claassens said, 'I get my inspiration in life from my mother, Renschie Taljaard, my sister, Yolandi Viljoen, my brother, Ockert Claassens and my fiancé, Quintin. I know what each of them have gone through in life and they are still here, they still smile at the world like nothing happened. That inspires me. Life puts us in the dark sometimes, but no matter the cards we are dealt, there is no situation we can't handle.'
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