Sophie Ndaba (born June 29, 1972) is a South African actress who is popular for her role as Queen Moroka in the soap Generations. Following her battle with diabetes, she seems to be more interested in managing her health and living her best life with her family, which has kept her away from the public.
In the past few years, Sophie Ndaba has had a lot going on, from failed marriages to the loss of important persons in her life and ill-health. But like the sun, she has always risen after every fall. Of late, the actress, who is loved to be hated by many and loved to be loved by many more, has not been as active as she has been in public and on the screens. As a result, fans continue to worry about her health, which led to a massive weight loss.
Towards the end of 2020, it was rumored that the legendary Generations actress was retreating to her shell due to the constant bullying she received from social media trolls. Today, she is still out there, even though she is not as active as she used to be in public spaces.
Summary of Sophie Ndaba’s Biography
- Full name: Sophie Lichaba
- Nickname: Sophie Mphasane, Sophie Lichaba
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: June 29, 1972
- Place of Birth: Soweto, South Africa
- Sophie Ndaba’s Age: 51 Years Old
- Ethnicity: African
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Sophie Ndaba’s Husband: Keith Harrington (m. 2011–2013), Themba Ndaba (m. 1998–2007)
- Sophie Ndaba’s Children: Lwandle Ndaba, Rudo Ndaba, Shallon Ndaba
- Sophie Ndaba’s Parents: Solly Mphasane
- Siblings: Tiny Mphasane
- Profession: Actress, former model, businesswoman
- Famous for: Her role as Queen Moroka in the soap Generations
- Sophie Ndaba’s Instagram: sophiendaba_
- Twitter: @Sophiendaba_
Her Struggle With Diabetes Led to Her Massive Weight Loss
A woman who has come to be respected as one of the strongest women in South African entertainment, Sophie Ndaba, now recognized as Sophie Lichaba, has seen many tough days in her life. In 2017, concerns were raised by fans and close associates due to the deteriorating looks and weight of the actress.
Although the actress’s looks of once being chubby drew concerns from many, others used it to body shame her. However, she soon made it clear in an interview that she had diabetes. She revealed that it was the sickness that cost her some kilos since 2017.
According to the actress, who has been in the movie scene for well over 2 decades, her weight loss was something she decided to embark on consciously because she was obese, which affected her health. She decided to start eating well and shed off some weight because it landed her in the hospital. Ndaba also revealed that she lost both her parents to diabetes and wants to do all within her power to fight it.
She Has Been A Soft Target For Trolls
Even before she made it known that she was struggling with diabetes, Sophie Lichaba has almost always been a target for trolls who find it easy to pick on the legendary actress. She has been attacked for everything from her finances to her health and marriage.
Before she got married for a third time to Max Lichaba, her husband was warned that he was getting married to a dying woman. Initially, they were both shy to reveal their relationship status, but they later broke out of their shell—this paved the way for many with negative mindsets to hit on them. According to Max, some contacted his grandmother to warn her that Sophie was not a good woman for him. He warned them to back-off and continued with his wedding.
There were rumors that she was in so much debt and could soon go bankrupt on her finances. Once again, she slammed the reports, stating that there was absolutely no truth to that. The biggest of the trolling and bullying she received was on social media when she started losing weight. The first rumor that started going around was that she had HIV/AIDs.
The actress stood against calls on social media that she should go for an HIV test. While many attacked her, she also got support from many, including the ex-wife of her husband, Thandi Mavata, who described the negativity surrounding Sophie’s weight loss as ignorant and disgusting.
Sophie Lichaba Survived Death Hoax And A Car Crash
Even more than the bullying channeled at the actress, she has been a victim of a death hoax more than once. In 2018, her daughter, Shallon Ndaba, was forced to come out to clear the air that her mother was alive and doing well after it was reported that she had lost her life.
In 2019, the actress had to stand up against the same malicious reports twice, which said she had died again and again. She took to her social media to reveal that the reports have been very traumatic for her family. She also added that she was not only alive, but with the help of God, she would be around for a long time to come.
Sophie Ndaba came close to losing her life once she passed out while driving, leading to a car crash. Her sugar level went very high while she was on the wheels on a residential road, and the result was a car accident that left her and her family with a serious scare while the car was left damaged.
Sophie Ndaba Is Now Managing Her Health And Career Just Fine
All the unfortunate and malicious claims about the actress’s health and the false reports that she was dying have affected her in terms of her business and other dealings. She revealed that because of the reports that she was dying, those who use to trust her with jobs in the millions were now scared of giving her such jobs.
However, since 2017 when her health challenges began, she has handled several jobs, including her much-talked-about role on the hit series Lockdown. She played the character of the head nurse at Kgotsong Asylum, Palesa, in 2020. She also returned to Hashtags Africa in 2019 and remained on the show for a while.
For the better part of 2020, the actress, who is arguably one of the most successful in the arts through the years, has had many interviews, including one towards the end of the year in which she revealed her struggles and how she has come through the all. More so, she has continued to raise awareness of diabetes, emerging as one of the most vocal celebrities and advocate about the disease in the country.
She seems to be more interested in managing her health and living her best life with her family, which has kept her away from the public and social media. While her Instagram and Twitter accounts are very active, she no longer posts as regularly as she used to.
It is Not Known If She Has Fully Regained Her Lost Weight
Since the latter part of 2020, nothing has been known about the actress’s bodyweight because she stayed away from the public. However, as expected, she maintains her weight, which is a conscious and confident decision for her health.
Although she used to be chubby and even obese, there is no indication that the beautiful actress would allow herself to return to that same body size, knowing that it is important for her as a person with diabetes to maintain good body weight.
