Jeannie D

Jeannie D is a leading lifestyle journalist, model and brand ambassador for various multinational courses and organisations involved in philanthropic work. She built her name as sparkling television and radio personality interviewing some of the world’s best loved mega-stars.

Jeannie D was born Jeannie de Gouveia in Johannesburg, South Africa. At 12 years old, she joined The National School of the Arts and later studied for a BA Communications at Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). It was at RAU that she launched herself as a broadcaster when she joined Rau Radio, a university campus radio station. Parallel to this budding journalistic career, Jeannie D became increasingly active as a model. She was crowned Miss Rau in 2002.

These well springs continue to shape her illustrious career as both lifestyle journalist, speaker and model.

In 2006 Jeannie D relocated to Cape Town where she joined Good Hope FM to become a newsreader and host of a graveyard show. She later got her own show, The Jeannie D Show.

Moving quickly along, she left Good Hope FM to pursue a career in television. Her modeling career flourished in parallel too. She is one South African’s best-known Victoria Secret models.

The singularity of Jeannie’s talent as a speaker and presenter rests on her unique ability to balance an unassuming journalistic depth with the sassy girl-about-town sensibility. It’s a unique style that she has crafted and mastered through some of the most memorable interviews in South African television history. Her jaunty charm has underscored her journalism as an interviewer that is as probing as she has been enjoyable and seductive to watch.

Her interview resume over the years shore this up. Exemplary among these are her chat with Limpho Hani, the window of slain struggle hero Chris Hani, along with renowned actors like Laurence Fishburne, Matthew McConaughey, Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, as well as designer shoemaker Jimmy Choo, to name a few. One has only to look at the following on social media to appreciate her impact and reach.

Jeannie D’s foray into acting has seen her take on film roles in like Mercenary for Justice, a Steven Seagal film shot in Cape Town. She appeared on the second season of SABC 2’s dance reality competition, Strictly Come Dancing as a celebrity dancer alongside professional dancer Anthony Krotz, the pair lasting six weeks.

Jeanine got her great popular breakthrough when she joined SABC 3’s long-running lifestyle magazine show Top Billing. It is Top Billing that saw her travel the world and interview some of the biggest names in world entertainment.

In 2008 Jeannie D joined Top Billing‘s sister show Top Travel along with fellow presenters Jo-Ann Strauss, Janez Vermeiren, Nico Panagio and Michael Mol while all of them also remained active on Top Billing.

In 2015, along with Bonnie Mbuli and fellow Top Billing presenter Bonang Matheba, Jeannie D began hosting a SABC 3 talk show, Afternoon Express, which replaced 3 Talk.

Jeannie D is also regular host of corporate events where she is often called on to be MC. She has done work for VW, Old Mutual, Magnum etc. She has lent her voice and vivacious touch to many awards shows too.

In 2012 Jeannie D hosted the 6th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) with Bridget Masinga and Terence Bridgett as Red Carpet host.

Jeanie D is also involved in various philanthropic courses. Notably, she is an ambassador for Biogen, a multinational biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative, hematologic, and autoimmune diseases to patients worldwide.