Jamai Loman got a new kidney from his brother-in-law two years ago. For the television program About Winners the 34-year-old presenter could draw inspiration from that experience. “Those who are very ill often feel desperate. Then you can pull yourself up to someone who has happened to the same thing, but is still walking around”, he tells NU.nl.
On Instagram some time ago, Loman shared a picture of himself with his brother-in-law in the background. It had been two years since the presenter underwent a kidney transplant due to kidney failure.
Despite his nearly two-decade career in the entertainment industry, Loman is still struggling to tell about his private life.
“I don’t often showcase that on Instagram, although I should. Your profile and your followers have become an important part of being an artist. I have trouble drawing the line between what I do and don’t share. But this was true. A big event in my life, that’s hard to keep under wraps. I also wanted to share that with my followers. Maybe someone is in the same boat and feels supported by it. “
‘I could never have made this three years ago’
When Loman returned to his employer RT after a months-long recovery period, the idea lay About Winners on the table. In the program, participants with severe disabilities or illnesses face almost impossible challenges. For example, a 36-year-old MS patient wants to dance in Las Vegas and a 42-year-old woman with leg prostheses makes a trip to Jordan.
The program meets Loman’s wishes. He recently signed a contract with the channel and said he would like to make a human interest program.
“When I came back, I couldn’t just pick up the thread again. I mainly did big entertainment shows on Friday and Saturday nights. But I really felt the urge to do something with what happened to me. I never had this program three years ago. Then everyone, myself included, would have said, “Why are you on this program?” But now we all felt that this was the right recipe to process what I had experienced and that it could be translated into a television format. ”
Who in the creation of About Winners only one television channel that uses an employee’s medical history as a trigger for tears TV is wrong, according to Loman.
“If the NPO had made this, no one would doubt the intentions. These stories should be told. There are hundreds of thousands of chronically ill people in the Netherlands who can relate to this. The people in this program are in dire situations, but are still so positive. in the life that you as a viewer get respect for it and that you also put your own problems into perspective.
‘I just want to be able to put on a wig’
During the shoot, Loman had doubts more than once. His contribution to this program was different from, for example, his carefree role in The Voice Kids. Now he had to empathize with the candidates without reducing them to victims.
“That I could relate their situation or certain facets thereof to my own experience, I naturally saw as a gain. But that does not mean that you can only make such a program if you are an experience expert. On the contrary, look at Tim Hofman and Jurre Geluk. That You Will Have It present. It did help me break open a conversation. I followed those people for almost a year and a half and we trained together to achieve their goal. That creates a bond. “
This involvement was one of the highlights of Loman’s presentation About Winners, but it also required a lot of energy: “I had to deal with intense stories. What I’m going to do in the future must contain the necessary amount of entertainment. I also need light moments when I can just put on a wig.”
About Winners can be seen every Wednesday at 21.15 on RTL 4.
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