TLC’s Next Great Presenter announced

Family, friends and TLC Next Great Presenter competition supporters gathered at Studio Blu in Fourways as Carissa Cupido was announced as this year’s presenter search winner.

The competition, in association with Colgate Optic White, ended with a bang after months of searching for TLC’s Next Great Presenter.

“I am over the moon, everything is still sinking in but I must say I am so incredibly excited. After entering so many presenting competitions, I am so glad to say that God’s timing is perfect. I just had to keep reminding myself to stay present and appreciate every moment. Thank you Africa – I could have never done it without the TLC fans,” she expressed.

Cupido, who hails from Cape Town, went up against Zimbabwe’s Karen Mukwedeya and Kenya’s Charlie Karumi.

Cupido, who is a radio personality, clinched the title by securing the majority of support from more than 200 000 combined votes received for the top three finalists.

“The next thing is to pack my bags and go to London. To go somewhere I have always wanted to visit and to be there doing what I have always wanted to do is a dream come true,” Cupido expressed.

She added that TLC’s Next Great Presenter represented the peak of her career and the start of a new era in her life. “You can look forward to watching me having fun while bringing the best of TLC into your homes. I am ready to start this incredible journey – look out Africa!”

Speaking on her experience as a judge of the competition, radio DJ, actress and television host, Thando Thabethe said, “This year’s competition has been amazing as we had a pool of wonderful talent, and all the contestants had something unique that they brought which made our jobs quite difficult as to who we should choose.

“The top three contestants were amazing, they all had something unique to offer and the end result was great. I wish Carissa all the best and look forward to seeing her on the red carpet.”

Cupido is set to go to London to present TLC’s Most Extreme, a new four-part series coming to TLC Entertainment, DStv channel 135 early next year. The new show will highlight some of the channel’s most gripping, exciting and thrilling clips from the TLC archive.

Cupido’s journey to the top is the story of only one of 1 500 hopefuls from all over Africa who aimed to make it as the new TLC star.

To follow the full competition journey, tune in to Next Great Presenter: The Winner’s Story on TLC Entertainment, DStv channel 135, on 22 December at 20.55pm. From the selection of the lucky 13 semi-finalists who made it to the boot camp, to the top three finalists who made it to the final stage of their glittering journey.