Darren and Anna: A love story written in the stars

Updated Feb. 12, 2025, 8:04 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast

The story of Darren and Anna is one that captured the hearts of KZN and reignited the hope of finding true love in all of us. Darren shares how it went down.

Danna cover — Darren & Anna at IBV 2024 / Supplied

It’s a romance his listeners adore. From the first moment Darren Maule mentioned her, we heard it in his voice – this was something special. For years, we had known the loving and caring side of him as “Dad to Mouse", but the never-married Darren had been single for as long as anyone could remember.

When he finally found love with his Anna Banana, his millions of listeners couldn’t have been happier.

As it’s the month of love, we sat down with Darren to hear more about that whirlwind time in 2019 when he and Anna got together – and the two brave moments that changed everything.

Darren hopes his story will inspire others to find the courage to express their feelings to the person they like.

“I cannot believe I nearly missed out on the love of my life by being too shy to say how I felt. This Valentine’s Day, I say to others – if you feel it, go ahead and tell someone you like them! You never know where it might take you.”

ALSO READ: KZN’s most romantic spots to spend Valentine's Day

A love that almost never was

“I had known of Anna for quite a long time and delighted seeing her at many charity events, media launches and some of our outside broadcasts. Back then, she was the marketing manager for Chateau Gateaux. I would see her setting up stands, working events, talking to everyone and I was completely charmed.

"I got to admire her from afar, seeing how she was with both colleagues and strangers and how thoughtful she was. She had an amazing memory of everyone’s birthday, her energy was delightful and she left a special mark and her magic touch on countless events.

"While I was completely smitten, I was also completely useless at doing anything about it! I would go from being a confident MC on stage, but having to summon up all my courage to walk across a crowded room just to say ‘hello’ to her, knowing that she would give me a cheery ‘hello’ back and then be off on her way. Before I knew it, it was the end of 2019 and I still hadn’t so much as asked her for coffee.”

However, all that was about to change.

The moment that changed everything

“I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on a phone call with a friend who had recently moved to the UK.

"She was missing Durban and her friends here, and then she said the sentence that would change everything: ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am that Anna will be moving back here in the next couple of months so I will still get to see her.’

"I stopped dead in my tracks – ‘Anna?’

"My friend continued, ‘Anna yes, you know, Anna – Anna Kelly. She has been offered a new job in London and has handed in her notice, sold her house and everything, I can’t wait to see her!’

"I was gutted. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

As luck would have it, Darren saw that he had an upcoming photo shoot to promote a charity gala dinner where he would be the MC in his calendar. The sponsor of the event? You guessed it – Château Gâteaux.

“I knew this was my last chance to do something!”

Taking the big leap

“I had zero plans, and looking back, I laugh at what a bumbling idiot I was. I arrived at the Elangeni rooftop, where the shoot was taking place, and walked straight up to her before I had the chance to get nervous.

"I blurted out, ‘I hear you’re moving to the UK. I want to do something about that.’

"We both remember that moment so clearly. I often think about all the people out there who are just too shy or afraid of rejection to tell someone they like them. I might talk confidently on the radio every day, but in reality, I’m painfully shy about things like this. When I was drinking back in the day, there was a fake bravado, but sober Darren? He was completely at a loss of how to do this for real, especially for someone I really felt something uniquely special for.

"We did the shoot, and it was such a laugh. When the photos came in, I got ready to execute ‘Part B’ of my non-existent plan. There was one photo, which to this day, is one of my all-time favourite pictures of me and Anna. We have it framed in our home now, and without it, I honestly don’t know if we’d be together today."

"Then I did the next brave thing – I posted it on my Facebook page with the caption, 'I want a woman to look at me the way Anna is looking at the chocolate.'"

KZN fell in love with their story

“In radio, the real magicians are our producers, and many of the story arcs that listeners hear on air emanate from them. My then-producer Simon latched onto my post and decided to take it to air. He ran a poll: Was Anna looking at the chocolate or Darren?

"The lines went crazy.

"'She’s definitely looking at you, Darren!'

"'OMG, that’s the look of love!'

"'She is 100% looking at you!'

"'Looks like a wedding photo!'

“KZN loves love; that’s a fact. My listeners have been there for me and my Anna from the very beginning. They were cheering us on all the way!

"What many people don’t know is that my producer already knew about my crush on Anna. One morning, while I was live on air, I saw Anna arrive in the foyer at ECR. Back then, our studio overlooked the entrance area. She was waiting in reception for a meeting, and Simon watched me get up and leave the studio during a song just to walk past her. And I never leave the studio unless it’s for the loo!

"Anna and I both remember that moment. I walked up to her, said ‘hi’– and then completely lost my nerve. I didn’t even flirt! I went back into the studio, feeling like such an idiot. Although my producer never forgot it, and when he saw that post, he knew nerdy Darren needed a helping hand.”

A love that lasts

And the rest is history.

Darren and his Anna Banana went on a series of dates, starting with an afternoon at the arcade in Suncoast. She still has the plastic ring he won for her with his arcade tickets and gave her at the end of that first date.

She never moved back to England.

Later, in a quiet, romantic ceremony at their home on the North Coast, Darren and Anna were married during COVID.

“I know our romance means a lot to my listeners. I’ve lost count of how many people have come up to us and said, ‘You guys have made us believe in romance again.’

"Thank you, KZN, for helping me get my nerve up! Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, and enjoy celebrating every kind of love there is to be had out there.”