Congolese born Finnish model & former Big Brother Suomi contestant, Miss Kelly Kalonji has opened up to her relationship story and other things that transpired in the past year.
In October, we saw you and your ex in the first outing and a month later it was in the news that you have broken up with him. What happened?
What was reported in the Finnish media wasn’t the true picture of what happened? I never granted an interview to any Finnish media. The report was mere speculation and they fabricated a story that they sold to the public. They believed that Jukka and I weren’t together anymore because Jukka travelled to Dubai alone. Please note that top Finnish media contacted me through different means. Some of them have my number while others reached out to me through my Instagram account but I never responded to them. They wanted to confirm the breakup story but I wasn’t in the mood. I had wanted to keep my relationship private.
There is so much in the relationship that I needed to keep safe. Sometimes the media is good and sometimes they just want to know everything even when it’s not okay for the person. I was sad about the whole story which affected my health. I cried to my therapist for solace. My phone was off, I needed to be alone. In a nutshell, the issue with my relationship with Jukka is that we need time to figure out how the relationship will go. My phone is still buzzing because everybody wants to know if we are back together…still I’m not ready to grant an interview.
Did you travel to London to cool off the pressure over your relationship issue?
Not at all. I travelled to London to visit my family. I haven’t been to London for two years because of the pandemic.
Big Brother Finland experience?
The experience was awesome. Going to the house with well-known Finnish celebrities is a great honour for me. I felt sad leaving the house early. The networking and connections I would have established were cut short by the early exit. Sincerely speaking, looking at the votes I got, goes to show that my community loves me. People voted for me but the votes weren’t enough to keep the first black lady to be in the house. The exit announcement made me speechless for about 30 minutes. I strongly advise people of African descent to dare to have a breakthrough in the Finnish media houses, entertainment sectors, and other key areas; by so doing, the constraints that people of African descent face will be minimised. We will have those who will pave the way and fight any discrimination in the structure. A lot is happening behind the scene that we are not aware of.
How would you describe 2021?
The year came with its usual flip sides but in all sincerity, I’m grateful to God. This year taught me a lot of things. I cried a lot this year. I had more publicity this year and my fan base increased. Going to two different TV shows in the same year is a whole lot of achievement. My experience at the Celebrity Farm House and Big Brother Finland have shaped my career and opened new doors for me. During the year, I lost one of my friends, a young famous Finnish girl. The epidemic affected our beauty pageant “Miss Afro Diaspora Finland.” The event did not hold because of the restrictions but hopefully, in 2022 we are going to organise the second edition and continue from where we stopped in 2020. In all things, I’m grateful to God.
2022 expectations and plans?
We pray for a year filled with joy and happiness. A year we will fulfil our dreams. I will continue to work on myself, engage in capacity building and extend my brand beyond the boundaries of Finland. I look forward to engaging in great commercials and collaborations with people of like minds. Our beauty pageant for the year 2022 will be better than that of 2020. I’m happy to see our girl, Ajah Daffeh, the winner of Face of African Queen which is now renamed Miss Afro Diaspora Finland in a TV show which is one of the biggest in Finland. The Sinkut Paljaana TV show will be aired on Yleareena from January 1. I’m committed to creating a platform for people to grow and become famous in Finland.
Relationship with the media?
To be honest, l think I have to clear the air in regards to the media issues. This year, the media has not been fair with me in the way they put up stories about me. I think this year, the media has shown their true face to me. This year I have been in the media many times far more than I have ever been in the past ten years I came to the limelight. The media has been taking me for granted. “It seems like they are bent on embarrassing me.” This is not good! The life of a celebrity matters. The media has been unfair to me in all honesty. They put up stories to portray me in a bad way. Sometimes relationships get messy because of the way the media reports them. I want to keep my relationship private, not in the public glare.
