Joy after heartache for Lloyd Cele .
It’s been a rough few years for singer Lloyd Cele and his wife Janice, but now they have much to celebrate
THE two children barrel along outside the house on their bikes, squealing “Dad” as they try to get their famous father’s attention. Instead of walking towards the sliding doors leading to a pool and garden area where the kids are, singer Lloyd Cele strides to a corner of the living room of their spacious home in Midstream, Centurion.
Posters and canvases bearing inspirational messages dot the wall. One of the canvases has the family’s names emblazoned on it – Lloyd (35), his wife, Janice (34), their eldest son, Levi (8), and their daughter, Zoey (5).
Notably silent is Kingsley – the latest addition to the Cele family, who’s sleeping snugly in a cot as his doting dad bends to look at him.
“He’s our miracle baby,” Lloyd beams, turning to wave to his eldest kids outside before joining Janice on the couch.
They almost gave up hope of growing their family after enduring a stillbirth nearly three years ago (YOU, 19 February 2015). They also suffered a miscarriage last year, Lloyd and Janice reveal for the first time.
In December 2014, their baby, Torah Afrika, died at 35 weeks due to complications with her umbilical cord.
“We knew something was wrong when we went to the doctor and could no longer hear a heartbeat,” Lloyd recalls.
Their worst fears were confirmed: their daughter had died in her mother’s womb. “Janice went for a full C-section and we had a funeral for the baby.”
The grief-stricken couple buried their daughter at Olievenhoutbosch Cemetery in Centurion on 12 December – a few weeks before doctors had planned to deliver her. “It was physically and emotionally very hard for us and took a great toll on us,” Lloyd says.
They waited a year and a half before trying again and were elated to discover Janice was pregnant last year. But in August she miscarried and the heartbroken couple decided it was best to stop trying to have more children for the time being, they reveal for the first time in an exclusive interview with YOU.
“In December last year, Janice told me she was pregnant,” Lloyd says. “I joked and asked, ‘Whose baby?’” He laughs and Janice joins in.
It was a welcome surprise, he says. “We always wanted a big family. We’ve been waiting since 2014 to have a baby and I thought we’d revisit the conversation this year but we were surprised when I found out I was pregnant because it wasn’t planned,” Janice says.
She had a healthy pregnancy but Kingsley was a big baby and it was difficult towards the end when he became so heavy. He was delivered via C-section on 17 July at 37 weeks, weighing 4,35kg.
He was born with fluid in his lungs – which worried Janice. “It was nothing major but I think I had so much fear because of what had happened before.”
It turns out there was nothing to worry about, Kingsley – named to signify power – was discharged after spending two days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“We’re just so glad to have him happy, healthy and at home,” Janice gushes.
BEHIND the music and the fame he found as a former Idols runner-up and now seasoned singer, Lloyd is a family man – and that’s all that matters to him. “When you’re a public figure people are always going to have something to say, but I choose not to engage in it or to reply to anything negative said about me.
“I’m very much out of the box and I think differently to other people. I’m not afraid to try new things,” says Lloyd, referring to his flame-coloured David Tlale-like hairstyle that recently set Twitter on fire.
He’s still sporting the hairstyle, and Janice loves it. “He’s being himself; he’s being unique. I think the message he was trying to pass on was awesome: be brave! [We] don’t care what people think!”
Lloyd is no stranger to controversy. He and Janice met back in 2002 at a church youth meeting while living in KwaZulu-Natal. “It was the most inappropriate place to notice her legs,” he laughs. “But I knew I couldn’t approach her with that so I went up to her and we started speaking about shoes because we were wearing similar pairs. From there we got chatting. I discovered she liked music, could sing and play the guitar and drums. We realised we had so many similarities. ”
Their first date didn’t go as planned though – Lloyd says he hated it. The pair went on a double date with two friends to play pool and it was pretty awkward, he recalls.
Chemistry sizzled on their second date, when it was just the two of them. “She was everything I’d pictured and more. She loved music and loved God just as much as I did,” he grins.
Yet it wasn’t all plain sailing for the couple. They were met with many glaring looks when they walked hand in hand down the street together – not everyone was in favour of their interracial relationship, including Lloyd’s Zulu family and Janice’s Indian relatives.
“It took a while for our families to get used to us as a couple,” Lloyd recalls.
“I remember having to ask her dad for his blessing to get engaged to Janice. I finally built up the courage to speak to him and he caused a big scene.
“I remember being nervous as hell and thinking the surprise is now ruined but deep down I knew this was the woman of my dreams, and I asked her anyway.”
Their families were eventually won over, and when the couple tied the knot at the Hotel Izulu in Durban in February 2007 both families were there to support them and celebrate.
Ten years and three beautiful children later, they couldn’t be happier – not even when Kingsley lets out a wail.
THE baby wriggles around in his cot, bellowing as Janice picks him up. Everyone surrounds the happy mom, including Zoey, who’s besotted with her baby brother. “He sounds so cute when he cries,” she says. “I help pass Mom the face towels when she’s washing Kingsley.”
Everyone dotes on Kingsley, even big bro Levi. “When he cries, I always talk to him and tell him, ‘It’s going to be okay. Mom’s coming’,” Levi says.
Janice is grateful for all the help and says they’re finding their feet as a bigger family. “At first it was an adjustment because I’m the type of person who wants to give myself completely to all my kids.”
Having previously worked in accounts, Janice left her job just before finding out she was pregnant due to the high stress levels in the finance world.
She helps out at the family business, Levi Josh Productions, which they started soon after discovering she was pregnant with Levi. The record label is run in partnership with Lloyd’s management company, Respect Music, which helped him launch a new band with Loyiso Bala and Danny K called Supreme 3.
“We’ll be doing a lot of Motown music and I’m pretty excited,” Lloyd says. “I’ve worked with Danny and Loyiso before and we get one another.”
As for their family plans, Janice and Lloyd are looking forward to watching their kids grow.
“This is my team and we look forward to what the future holds,” Lloyd says. “We want to travel while we can and we want to watch our kids have opportunities we didn’t have growing up. They’re already doing things we couldn’t even imagine. I’m excited for what’s to come.”