The comedian has opened up to Sowetan about his struggles with mental health, personal growth, going sober and picking up the pieces of his broken family.
“Like they say ‘Khumbul’ ekhaya’. I decided to fix myself up to be the best partner for her,” Modikoane said about his journey to reconciliation.
“Next month marks a year since we’ve been married and I must say, this has been the best decision of my life. I thank God for this second chance with my family. It has helped me grow as a man.
Two years ago, I decided to stop drinking alcohol. I wanted to see how productive I could be without any alcohol in my system,” he said.
“I first committed to a year and because I had the best year ever, I thought I should continue, and guess what, I had an even better year.
“The Mpho Popps who used to drink was skinny and because I train now, I look a whole lot better. Like, from now on, alcohol can miss me. It’s not easy but waking up every day with no toxins in my body is the best feeling in the world.”
Modikoane is grateful for the new phase he is in life and revealed that he slipped into a dark depression during the Covid-19 pandemic that left him suicidal.
“I realised that I’ve been neglecting myself. People may know me for my stand-up comedy or presenting but I’ve grown to be fond of myself more – I’ve been busy chasing success, being booked and busy but at the same time I was neglecting myself,” he said.
“Just like Robin Williams [American actor and comedian who committed suicide in 2014], who made everyone laugh, but was the most troubled human being. That’s what we comedians tend to do. We always feed into others but forget to feed ourselves.
