Marciel Hopkins
 
Thursday 8 September
 
“To be on TV and to be in this industry gives you an incredible platform, to be able to reach people and carry a message of hope and inspiration…To build your brand and be able to market things that you bring to the space. That’s an incredible advantage,” says Marciel Hopkins.
 
The beautiful TV presenter, actress & inspirational speaker has been building her career in the entertainment industry since 2016 when she competed in Miss South Africa.
 
According to Marciel, she never thought she would become an inspirational speaker. “It kind of happened by accident after my Miss South Africa journey, where I lost 14kgs in 4 months. I went through that excruciating journey of trying to force myself to be in a certain body shape,” she says.
 
After her intensive weight loss journey, she began to learn to accept and love her body. “I started sharing how I’ve come to be comfortable with being more curvy,” she says. From there people started inviting her to share her story. “Six years later I’ve spoken to thousands of women, all over the country.”
 
“I believe that if women love and accept themselves, they are in a better position to be successful and to take on challenges,” says Marciel. “Because if we don’t love ourselves, we usually don’t go for those things, because we believe we don’t deserve it.”
 
Marciel and her hubby Handrè recently got married in April, after being together for six years. “So I think it was about time!”
 
She explains that they have both been traveling a lot for work, which has been challenging. “But when we are together, we really enjoy being present and in each other’s space.”
 
Another challenge brought on by her busy schedule is finding the time to work out. “I had a personal trainer design a program for me, it’s called ‘Feel Good Fitness’… It’s to empower women,” she says. The workout program is available on her website MarcielHopkins.com.
 
Follow Marciel on social media:
@marcielhopkins / Marciel Hopkins / @MarcielHopkins1