Sonya Kraus: This is how she mastered her blows of fate

As a sexy and funny blonde, Sonya Kraus has become an integral part of the German TV landscape. But in the private life of the presenter, who celebrates her 50th birthday on June 22nd, it wasn’t always so fun. She experienced many strokes of fate, but never let them get her down. Since her breast cancer illness in 2021, she has been encouraging other affected people and, above all, wishes for private fulfillment for her milestone birthday: “I want to grow old, stay happy and healthy,” she said “Bunte”.

She became famous 25 years ago

After graduating from high school, the native of Frankfurt initially worked as a model. In 1998 she replaced the letter fairy Maren Gilzer (63) on the “Wheel of Fortune” – her breakthrough. Only two years later she got her first own show. She moderated “talk talk talk” on ProSieben for eleven years. Kraus advanced to become the broadcaster’s all-purpose moderator and was in constant use there until 2013. She moderated “Die Alm”, “Die Burg” and numerous “TV total” specials. With her home improvement show “Do It Yourself – SOS” from 2003 she probably finally became the dream of all men. Her autograph cards from that time show her scantily clad with tools.

In general, she liked trying things out. In addition to modeling and moderating, jobs as an actress and DJ were also added. She has also published a number of books – for example “Construction Site Man – The Ultimate Love Guide” in 2007, “Construction Site Body: Sonya’s Secrets” in 2009 or “Construction Site Baby – An Enlightenment Report” in 2012.

She went through a lot as a child

Her career in the limelight was probably made possible by tragedy of all things. When she was eleven, her father committed suicide. In “Focus” Kraus described how the bad event changed her life: “Actually, I was mostly a shy child until then, but suddenly I found joy in cheering up other people. It was like a liberation for me.” She continued: “Even if my mother and I had to sell the house and were on our own: I never looked for a protector or breadwinner in a man. That made me a strong woman.” The family had already gone through hard times: At the age of six, the presenter lost her nine-month-old brother to sudden infant death.

She is still closely connected to her mother today, they live under one roof in Frankfurt.

Since the birth of her sons in 2010 and 2012, the lively presenter has become a little quieter. “The profession has now become a sideshow,” she said shortly before her 50th birthday. “In a way, he always has been because since the kids were born, I’ve realized that there are much more important things.” At least since her breast cancer two years ago, she has become even more aware of this. She wants to enjoy her life and spend a lot of time with her loved ones. “That’s why I now only do what I really enjoy professionally,” she told “Bunte”. This includes the new edition of “Wheel of Fortune” for RTLzwei, for which Kraus has risen from letter fairy to presenter.

She is open about her illness

Even if the job is only a minor matter: The work helped her to deal with the illness. In September 2021, a lump was discovered in her breast. Kraus opted for a bilateral mastectomy followed by chemotherapy. But Kraus didn’t let that get him down either. “I had no other choice anyway and crying after my natural breasts or my hair would not have done me any good. That’s why I prefer to embrace the possibilities of the mask and medicine,” she said. It was good for her to distract herself from the diagnosis and the disease: “I worked the whole time during my chemotherapy, that was important for me, because after the diagnosis I initially thought: ‘Now life is over’.” Just three weeks after the operation, she shot “Showtime of my Life – Stars against Cancer” (VOX).

She also encourages affected women on her Instagram page, only recently posting her wig collection. Because she can also get something positive out of artificial hair. It’s so much quicker to style and there’s a lot to choose from. “So, have courage and don’t lose your head.” : “When you have experienced such a shock and gone through such a valley, then you enjoy life all the more intensively.” Her new motto in life is therefore: “Just enjoy and don’t let it get me out of my zen.” And that obviously works very well with the jubilarian. Because despite everything, she still describes herself as a lucky child.