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Sammy M says being on Big Brother Mzansi was more than a dream for her, it was also an investment into her family’s economic security, especially with her father’s ailing health.

Real name Siphosethu Mxunyelwa, the 22-year-old from King William’s Town, in Eastern Cape, was thrown a curve ball after she was eliminated from the 24/7 reality show on Sunday, missing out on her shot at the R2m grand prize. Mxunyelwa told Sowetan on Monday that she had many regrets and she wished she had pushed herself more.

“I am super sad and mad at myself for not sticking to my initial plan of making SA fall in love with who I am. I should have gone fully in the first week, and maybe I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Mxunyelwa.

“To be honest, the night before the eviction, I had a suspicious feeling that I was going home and it’s sad to say that I was right.

“Being evicted means I won’t be able to fulfil my wish of giving my father the best medication he deserves. He had a mild stroke in 2018 and my mother has been taking care of him while we move from one city to the other . . . this is why winning the money would’ve changed a lot for me but mostly for him.”

In hindsight, Mxunyelwa said she wished she played a different game and she felt it had been too early to emerge as the “life of the party” in the house. “I love dancing, I can dance for more than two hours, but I think that’s where the problem was . . . viewers probably saw me do a lot of dancing, rather than talking,” she said. “Generally I am a talkative person who likes conversing with people. But, I don’t know what it was like being there . . . having all those cameras, I became too quiet in the house and didn’t wear my heart on my sleeve as I should have.”

Mxunyelwa plans to take a week off from the world to recoup and recover from her disappointment.

“I just want to be home with my mom. I need her during this time,” she said.

“After I’ve licked my wounds, I plan to get myself an agency and go for auditions for acting roles. People will get to see my light one way or the other.” Mxunyelwa said she was rooting for Zee to win the season.

“She’s very genuine and sweet. She knows when to be sweet and when she needs to be feisty . . . but she’s an all-round people’s person . . . no one deserves it more than her,” Mxunyelwa said. — Sowetan.