Happy, happy Valentine's Day to you! To celebrate this day of max lurrrve I thought it would be perfect for us to hook up with someone who's recently found it to see what they're getting up to today.
If there's anyone who's been through the ups and down of romance it's stand-up comedian Barry Hilton aka Tha Cousin.
Barry's currently bartending our screens in the Savannah Dry ads, in March he'll be co-hosting SABC2's new gameshow
The Generation Game and exactly four months ago he got married for the third time.
The story as to how it happened proves that things so often happen for a reason 'cos Barry had love-crushing moments before finding his soulmate.
Basically what happened was that his second wife - who he'd been with for forever - like over twenty years - one day she suddenly upped and left him and their kids. She met an American on the internet, packed up to go marry him (subsequently divorced) and signed over everything they had together to Barry - at the airport just before she left .
Barry's spoken about the experience in his live stand-up shows and it's left him laughing all the way to the altar. He met Sandy (see pic) after the chaos, they knew they were right for each other the moment they met, dated for a while and tied the knot in November last year.
Tashi: So - what’s happening in PE for Valentine’s Day? (They're shacked up in PE)
Barry: We’re going to have a braai ‘cos my wife wants a braai. Actually she’s got a list …I think it’s a braai … *
calls over to Sandy* - was it a braai you wanted? What else did you want?
Oh - it wasn’t? What rhymes with braai? *
Sandy laughs in the background and keeps chuckling throughout.*
Barry: Oh gosh - we’re going to bed early apparently.
Tashi: You’re obviously going to be spending at least 10 000 bucks on Sandy.
Barry: At least 10 to 20.
Tashi: When you were at school did they ever do anything special for Valentine’s Day?
Barry: No man, I was so ugly my parents didn’t talk to me until I was 16.
Tashi: So they didn’t do anything special?
Barry: It was a boys only school and they did a few times but some of the boys got expelled afterwards.
Tashi: What’s the first Valentine’s Day that you remember?
Barry: Two years ago I took Sandy for dinner and I thought it would be quite romantic and lekker if I invited one of my best mates and his missus. I got kaked out the whole night by Sandy and my mate’s missus ‘cos she thought they were going for a romantic dinner alone and Sandy thought we were going for a romantic dinner alone so the whole night Wayne and I just chatted about stuff.
Tashi: Have you gotten gifts or cards for Valentine’s day?
Barry: Plenty.
Tashi: What’s the best thing you ever got?
Barry: You know what - I got an “I love you" card from my kids after I got divorced. They said: “We know it’s Valentine’s Day but we love you.” That was the best thing ever.
Tashi: What’s the flashiest thing you’ve ever given to someone?
Barry: I’m not a flashy person hey - probably roses.
I lie.
I walked ‘round naked in an overcoat once.
Tashi: Hehe! That answers my next question which was: what’s the worst thing?
Barry: Well just the other day I was walking around in my coat, I had nothing on underneath and I said: “What do you think of this?” and she says, “I’ve got a headache.”
Tashi: Who’s your most romantic couple of all time?
Barry: Paul Newman and his missus. Paul Newman’s been married for something like forty odd years and nobody hardly even knows his wife - they stay to themselves on a ranch outside of Hollywood, he’s never in trouble - I think he’s fantastic, Paul Newman.
Tashi: Who’s your least romantic couple?
Barry: Nathaniel and Casper de Vries. (
pauses to think) But I don’t know if they’re an item.
Tashi: What’s your first date advice?
Barry: 21st century - take condoms, you never know who you might meet. Be nice.
Tashi: That would help.
Barry: Be yourself.
Tashi: What’s your motto when it comes to lurrrrrve?
Barry: Sh ..yho! - at my age I’m a rep for those blue pills. Love is a natural thing, we should give it as much as we can.
EndsBarry about Sandy: I think she’s the most beautiful woman on the planet and I absolutely
adore her.
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A link to Barry's website - it includes video clips from his live shows:
BarryHilton.co.za.