Princess Diana’s SA Trainer is Keeping Her Secrets Safe, Unlike Channel 4
South African expat and former personal trainer to Princess Diana – Jenni Rivett – has joined Diana’s brother and other close friends in publicly defending the privacy of her late great friend… as Channel 4 is controversially poised to broadcast footage on Sunday which was taken during private speech coaching sessions in 1993. Writing in […]
South African expat and former personal trainer to Princess Diana – Jenni Rivett – has joined Diana’s brother and other close friends in publicly defending the privacy of her late great friend… as Channel 4 is controversially poised to broadcast footage on Sunday which was taken during private speech coaching sessions in 1993.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Jenni says she is “appalled” that Channel 4 is planning to air the private tapes where the Princess “allegedly discloses details of her marriage and criticises the Royal Family”.
Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, has urged Channel 4 to pull “Diana: In Her Words”, which he says breaches Diana’s right to privacy and will cause distress to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Channel 4 claim that the film is ‘an important historical source’.
For Jenni, it is a shock that someone who spent hours with Diana and allowed her to pour out her heart could then “sell her out”. And she knows what she’s talking about. During the seven years in which Jenni had the “honour and privilege” of working closely with Princess Diana, she became “privy to her deepest secrets”… and yet would never dream of breaking her vow of loyalty to the Princess… despite being offered “a lot of money”.
Speaking exclusively to SAPeople from the UK, Jenni – who is now a world renowned fitness and nutrition consultant – said that “truly, a big moment in my life, especially being South African, was receiving a phone call from the butler to HRH The Princess of Wales asking if I could come and see her! And it was to be a seven year relationship until her untimely death in 1997.”
a big moment in my life, especially being South African, was receiving a phone call from the butler to HRH The Princess of Wales, asking if I could come and see her
Jenni says she and the Princess resonated well.
“I got to understand the immense pressure she was under, that she needed a shoulder to cry on from time to time and that it was important I remained loyal to her.
“So when she did part with a particularly private story I listened, gave her my best advice and never ever brought it up again. This I believe is why my job as her trainer lasted. Too many others took her openness as a green light to try and become her ‘new best fried’ and it always backfired.
“Diana was besotted (along with William and Harry) with my daughter Kirsti when she was a baby.”
Jenni says it was never a problem for her to bring Kirsti along with her, to her meetings with Diana at Kensington Palace. In fact “the Princes would fight over who would hold her”!
Just before Kirsti was born, Princess Diana presented Jenni with a beautiful little designer cardigan and a card – both of which she has framed. On the card Diana wrote: “Something small for your bundle should ít arrive whilst I am away… Lots of love Diana.”
Jenni says Diana was extremely dedicated to her training and never missed or cancelled an appointment unless she absolutely had to.
In fact the Princess was so dedicated she learned a lot from Jenni about correct exercise form and on a couple of occasions, when they were training in the gym, Diana “would urge me to go and correct other people if they were exercising badly!”
Jenni remembers Princess Diana as “an absolute bundle of fun, greatest sense of humour and loved the rudest jokes!…
“I miss her dearly.”
Jenni Rivett is an international fitness and nutrition consultant. Author, fitness journalist, and creator of four DVD’s, Jenni was once voted Britain’s top fitness trainer by the ‘Best of British’ publications.