My name is Katrin Müller-Hohenstein and I am a mostly cheerful and optimistic person. I’m a TV presenter and have been working for ZDF in the sports department for many years.
I’ve been to a lot of major international events, have been to seven World and European soccer championships to date, and have been to eight Olympic Games. But I also still work in radio and have a weekly talk show on Antenne Bayern.
I’m one of those lucky people who have never experienced bullying, discrimination or exclusion firsthand. When you work in television, you are automatically a public figure. That means that you are perceived and also judged by the public.
And some of the things that are written on social networks can be really insulting. But I don’t see it as bullying – rather as pity for the authors. I don’t want to lead such a sad life that it gives me pleasure when I can rise above another person for a moment. So I do not feel bullied.
Bullying – in the sense of discrimination or exclusion – bullying goes to the soul. And I can’t imagine what it means when I, as a 13 year old, short, slightly overweight boy, am always the last one to be asked to join in somewhere. Or as a young woman with a dark complexion always being the only one checked when I’m out with my friends in the evening. These are just two examples of people in my immediate private environment.
Unfortunately, I also encounter this topic far too often in my professional life. I will never forget how three players of the English national soccer team were massively racially attacked after losing the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium in 2021. They had missed a penalty kick.
So I’ve definitely had experience with bullying – it’s cruel.
When my big brother used to tease me, at some point I stopped responding. Then it wasn’t fun for him anymore and he stopped. I wish it was as easy with this issue. However, I think the solution works the other way around. You can’t make the issue visible enough. Like this!
I wish for a world in which everyone is allowed to be who they are. And I will never tire of emphasizing that diversity is a gift for every society. Diversity is important, always and everywhere!
I love the English Garden in Munich. A green oasis in the middle of the city. Where else can you find that? I’m out there almost every morning with my dog, we now know every root and every blade of grass. But it still never gets boring.
But I also love the countertop in my kitchen, where I often sit. I have a beautiful view of my little garden from there – there is no more peaceful place in this world.
I don’t have the one funniest moment. But I always have a blast when I’m with my son. We’ve had little rituals since he was a kid that only the two of us understand and that I won’t share with anyone else, sorry! Anyway, he is funny, empathetic and just the best thing that has ever happened to me. What a lucky guy I am.
