That’s fine, but I’ve found that knowing where you stand with me has helped me a whole lot in this industry.
What about people who get to work with you without really knowing how to deal with you?
(Laughs) Yeah, that can be an issue. Like recently, we were shooting Restaurant Of The Week and this chef came up to me and called me “darling.”
I went silent. Then I looked at him and asked, “What did you just call me?” I declined to film after that.
What followed?
The chef got confused. He said he refers to every woman he deals with like that. That explanation didn’t make matters any better. I didn’t understand it.
What gave him the right to call me, “darling?” At what point, did we establish so much rapport that he felt he could comfortably refer to me with terms of endearment? It’s very degrading and I don’t stand for such things.
Are you dating?
No. I’m at a point where I’ve decided the next relationship has to be “it.”
Wow. Isn’t that a lot of pressure?
Pressure in what sense?
Pressure on you, on the next person you meet, on the process itself?
No. There is no pressure. The process will certainly still be there: dinner here, lunch there, coffee tomorrow, but I can now tell very fast if it’s going somewhere. As soon as I realise it’s not, I stop it.
Do you like dating?
(Bursts out in laughter) I do. But I’m a full-blown introvert, and I get bored very fast.
I am also extremely stimulated by intelligence. Nothing gets me going more than intellectual conversations.
I don’t want to hear stories about how you had pizza and went out partying until 2a.m. That does nothing for me.
What kind of partner are you looking for?
Intelligent. I want depth. And I always prefer men who are older than me.
What have some of your dating experiences been like?
Oh, how much time do you have? (Laughs)
Which ones were the most impactful for you?
I once dated men who were in the church, but I didn’t meet them in church. Both men also just so happened to be apostles.
Like, dedicated, staunch, well-known, religious people with their own churches.
You would ordinarily think this would be the greatest thing ever. I was so sure God was giving me a sign.
But He wasn’t?
Oh no! If anything, it must have been a sign that I needed to run! Goodness, those were the most intense and most dramatic relationships of my life!
I dated the apostles back to back. Those relationships were the most draining Yvonne, the most draining!
When they didn’t work out, it was hard, but I crawled out of those relationships. That was a tough period, but God saw me through it. Now I’m fine. (Laughs)
And your most recent dating experience?
(Shakes head) I went out with this guy I met online. He’d been messaging me for weeks on social media. I was hesitant, but my mentor convinced to take the chance and I gave in, decided to play along.
I showed up for the date in jeans and a T-shirt. I blocked him shortly after.
Catherine? Jeans and a T-shirt?
(Laughs heartily) Look, dresses, heels, hair, all that is well and good. I’ve done it. But it gets to a point where there has to be something more than that.
He was quite into it actually. He really wanted us to work out. He was very mature, smart, accomplished, decent and admirable actually.
But there was no chemistry. And I don’t have time to sit and wait for chemistry to develop. It’s either there or it isn’t.
So you blocked him?
So I blocked him. (Smiles) I tried talking to him but he wasn’t getting it. Blocking was the answer. But look, I’m the queen of blocking. No, really, I block people like you don’t understand.
