The light of Linda de Mol
2022 was the year. I quote, ‘shittier than shit' year of Linda. A big cesspool was emptied and Pandora's box opened. And you find out that your love is not loyal to you (and that was still the most favorable scenario), then he disappears from your life in an instant (Jeroen Rietbergen was the only one with the guts to admit mistakes and check himself into a clinic, that should be said too) and then you get the media on your back and the whole public. Add all that up and you indeed come to the conclusion: shittier than shit.
But there is a bright spot in Linda's life: Noa, her daughter. You would think that Noa has gathered all the evidence around her to see that a career in front of the cameras is not always enviable, but still she does it. It's in her blood, and it crawls and flows. But Noa, a sporty girl, already knows very well what she wants: sports journalism. No showboating for this lady but reading up on the players and hustling along the field. And believe me: sports journalism is no light task. You drive from here to there with a team, lugging the cameraman's tripod on your back and meanwhile picking up sandwiches for the cameraman and the sound engineer. The highlight for Noa was of course this World Cup. There she immediately received her first dose of criticism because shouldn't she make a ‘fist’ and not go to Qatar? Noa took it seriously but said: I'm going. It's her job and her job is taking place there now. Moreover, she would be able to see with her own eyes how things are going in Qatar and would report on it as a journalist.
I enjoyed Noa during the transitions with De Oranjewinter. Patiently waiting for her turn, a joke here, a nod there. Not intimidated by Derksen and his crew, but certainly knowing her place and modest without being boring again.
Sometimes I thought of Linda. Then I wished her a blanket on the couch, a lovely cup of tea (and on lesser days an expensive glass of wine), watching her daughter and feeling her cheeks glow with pride.
Image: Marc de Groot
