Amor Vittone claps back at claims she was divorced from Joost
The singer and actress wed the rugby player in 2002 and were separated at the time of his death, after a long battle with motor neurone disease.
What followed was a bitter, public dispute over his will.
Speaking on Jacaranda FM last week, Amor Vittone clarified the confusion surrounding her relationship status with the late Joost van der Westhuizen.
She told Martin Bester: 'We weren't divorced, I am widowed. Does it make a difference?'.
The former Lotto presenter married the celebrated Springbok in 2002 in community of property. The nuptials occurred months after his divorce from his first wife, Marlene, was finalised.
During their marriage, Joost and Amor welcomed two children, son Jordan and daughter Kylie.
Amor Vittone and Joost van der Westhuizen's marriage was prime tabloid fodder, filled with allegations of infidelity, drugs, and even claims their romance began while the Springbok was still married, the latter of which both denied.
In 2010, the rugby's golden couple began divorce proceedings.
But, despite persistent social media commentary, the duo were not divorced but instead separated at the time of his death. According to Joost & Amor: Behind the Headlines author Gavin Prins, the couple had reconciled but lived in separate homes. Amor was supportive of her spouse and often visited him with their two children. Amor Vittone and her late husband, Joost van der Westhuizen.
Image via Facebook
The contents of Joost van der Westhuizen's will were made public in the months following his death. According to his family lawyer, Ulrich Roux, the popular player reportedly updated his will in 2015, appointing his brother Pieter as his executor.
In the new will, he left his entire estate to his two children with Amor Vittone: son Jordan and daughter Kylie v,ia his trust. To his wife of 15 years, he left a mere television set.
However, Amor maintains that the 2009 joint will, in which she was Joost's only heir, was his only valid will. According to IOL, Amor petitioned the Supreme Court for leave to appeal the court's ruling on the will. In a 2018 social media statement, Amore revealed that she would 'appeal to death'
Fast forward to 2022, Amor confirmed that the dispute over the will was ongoing.
In an interview on Laataand by Rian last year, Amor recalled how Joost promised to always provide for her and her children. She claimed he wrote her a letter begging for her forgiveness.
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