Overview

• The three-part documentary “Being Franziska van Almsick” produced by SWR will stream on ARD Mediathek from 4 September with its first television broadcast on 21 September.
• In August interviews van Almsick explains her late-1990s eating disorder never fully left her and now serves as a warning signal that alerts her to stress.
• She entrusted SWR to shape the series without editorial influence and is eager to discover previously unseen ARD archive footage.
• The former teen idol recalls enduring tabloid attacks such as B.Z.’s “Franzi van Speck” headline and says the experience taught her resilience despite lasting scars.
• Now based in Heidelberg with her husband Jürgen Harder and their two sons, she sporadically reemerges to champion her foundation promoting early swimming lessons for children.