After his early release from prison in Great Britain, Boris Becker will answer questions in a first TV interview. The 55-year-old answers questions from presenter Steven Gätjen in a “Sat.1 Special”. The interview was pre-taped and will be broadcast Tuesday at 8:15 p.m.
In order to prepare for the interview, Gätjen visited Becker in Huntercombe prison near London. The ex-tennis star had served his sentence there for several months. Initially, he was held at the notorious Wandsworth Prison. “There are not only people there who have committed financial crimes, but also sex offenders, murderers and people who have committed big robberies. Boris Becker told me that he was very afraid of ending up in a collection cell. In the first ones But he was alone for four days, had no contact with the outside world and was locked in his cell around the clock, with one hour out a day,” said Steven Gätjen in an interview with Sat.1. Becker didn’t shower for four days, his only wish was to work and get some fresh air. “He said he would have done anything for it.”
Gätjen says Becker did not enjoy a celebrity bonus in prison, but was treated like all other inmates. The time behind bars and being separated from his family made him think seriously about his life. “I definitely had the impression that this experience really took him away.” According to Gätjen, Becker is “willing to tidy up and clarify many things”. “When we met in prison, I had the feeling that someone was sitting in front of me who was striving for a fresh start,” says the 50-year-old.
In April of this year, Boris Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court for delaying bankruptcy. After around seven months in prison, he was released early and benefited from a special arrangement in Great Britain. Foreign prisoners can have their sentences waived if they leave the country in order to relieve overcrowded British prisons. Although Boris Becker has lived in London for many years, he is still a German citizen. He is now exempt from punishment in Germany, and for the time being he is no longer allowed to enter Great Britain.
