On Saturday, February 10, former TV presenter and socialite, Lalla Hirayama celebrated her 36th birthday.
What would have been a grand affair with her industry friends and peers, had she still been in the entertainment space, instead, was a quiet and peaceful day with her inner circle.
In May 2023, Hirayama disclosed that she needed to step away from the limelight due to her struggle with her mental health.
The former Channel O presenter has since moved to a farm with her partner, Ross McIlroy, who has been an integral part of her recovery, along with the horse he bought her.
Back to her birthday celebrations, she took to Instagram to give her fans the rundown of her low-key birthday celebrations in Cape Town.
“This past Saturday I began my 36th chapter of life. 🎉 I awoke to two darling love-bugs ❤️who had started prepping my queen-for-the-day festivities from the crack of dawn. Complete with coffee, flowers and pressies in bed 🥳🎁🎉☕️💐.”
She continued to share that she headed to the stables to take her horse out for a “quick ride”.
“A quick ride on the farm to ground me for a day ahead of amazing food, wine and whiskey. 🍷🥃🍲”
Her next surprise was waiting at the airport.
“Then straight to Cape Town for what I thought was vibes, but instead we detoured to the airport (to my surprise) to fetch my sis @nadia_zubaida 🛬🛄🥹💃🏽.
“A whole year without seeing her face in person - I was all so warm and fuzzy to have a huge part of my heart back with me, reunited at last ❤️👯♀️💃🏽 (thank you to my big bro @jackson_pama ).
Hirayama added that she never thought that she would make it to this point and credited her partner for believing in their “magic” and helping her find her “spark again”.
“So much saved me. But it all started with the kindest, most gentle love I have ever known. Thank you @rizziziousmar for believing in our magic and for helping me find my spark again. ✨.
“My birthday was small, it was intimate, it was with people that genuinely cared and love without judgement. No one needed to be cool, or perfect. We just needed to be together. 🫂.”
On her Instagram Stories, Hirayama shared a picture of McIlroy and herself and wrote: “My person. My heart outside my body. My safety net. My king! Thank you for this peace”.
