Stripper having time of her life teazing 'em

Marilize van Emmenis is probably one of the reasons why former rugby star Joost van der Westhuizen ended up in hospital this week. And while Van der Westhuizen continues to try to clear his name, the name of the stripper who filmed him allegedly snorting cocaine and cavorting in a dingy room is up in lights.

Two weeks ago Van Emmenis, 24, was hired by SA's king of strip, Lolly Jackson, and Teazers' clients are loving her.

"She's doing well. She has had a lot of mileage in the press. She's working now."

Jackson says he's not perturbed by her history because "all those things didn't happen in Teazers".

Asked if she was a good stripper, Jackson replied: "I hired her, didn't I?"

Last week, Van Emmenis made her debut appearance at the Rivonia club, with Jackson taking to the stage himself to announce that a "well-known" dancer had joined the club.

And Van Emmenis celebrated her return to the stripper's stage with a Springbok jersey emblazoned with the number 9 on the back - Joost's old playing number.

From the start, she took the bull by the horns and wasn't shy to show off her buff little body and newly enlarged breasts to the howling men.

Rapport newspaper, the only member of the media invited to the event, reported that she had a breast enlargement after the video of her and Van der Westhuizen was made.

Jackson said he was very excited that Van Emmenis was part of his club but added she would mostly appear as a special guest, and "of course when she feels she wants to entertain the men".

Speaking to Rapport, she said of her new workplace: "Lolly's places are not sleazy, everyone knows that. I've also suddenly become very sought-after as a model."

She added she had put the now infamous sex video behind her. "I will never do something like that again. I'm trying to put the incident out of my head.

"I've even thought about dyeing my hair and reducing the gap between my two front teeth so that people won't recognise me so easily."

But it's a good thing she didn't - her modelling career got a major boost, she admits.

Van der Westhuizen has remained unavailable for comment throughout. He could not be reached this week.

He was recovering at home after collapsing last weekend, shortly after commentating on the second Springbok vs Lions Test.

A family spokesperson told a daily newspaper the collapse had been brought about by the accumulated stress surrounding the tape allegedly of him and Van Emmenis.

• This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on July 04, 2009