Pistorius: The two different sides to the superstar, as told by the women in his life
Star: Pistorius was arrested on Thursday morning accused of having shot his girlfriend to death
Trish Taylor, mother of Samantha Taylor, wrote on Facebook: ‘I’m so glad Sammy is safe and out of the clutches of that man.’
Her daughter, a 26-year-old student from Cape Town, had recently tried to cast a spotlight on the athlete’s previously unseen dark side.
Last photo: Pistorius and girlfriend Steenkamp pose for a
picture in Johannesburg last Thursday
After dating Pistorius for a year-and-a-half until last year, Miss Taylor had told a newspaper that ‘Oscar is certainly not what people think he is’.
When asked about his new relationship with Reeva Steenkamp, she said: ‘Oscar has such a way with women. She’s probably not the only one he’s got.’
But another ex-girlfriend, Jenna Edkins, defended him on Twitter: ‘All I am saying is let him speak, let his side be heard without jumping to conclusions.
Ex: Pistorius with former girlfriend Samantha Taylor
Split: Pistorius with his ex Jenna Edkins in 2008
‘I have dated Oscar on and off for 5 years, not once has he ever lifted a finger to me or made me fear for my life.’
Pistorius has been linked to a succession of blondes, including Russian supermodel Anastassia Khozissova and South African models Melissa Rom and Chanelle du Plessis. He was first seen with Miss Steenkamp at an awards ceremony in November. One of Miss Steenkamp’s former boyfriends, Alan Taylor, could not conceal his grief and anger on Friday.
The 32-year-old DJ and bar manager wrote online: ‘I sincerely, with all my heart, hope justice is served. It makes me sad that someone took away someone so special, so young.’
Miss Steenkamp had been due on the day she died to give a speech to schoolchildren revealing that she had once been involved with someone in an abusive family relationship.
She was to have told the pupils that the resultant ‘loss of self worth’ had prompted her to move to rebuild her life.
