Joko Winterscheidt talks about therapy and the death of his mother

Quick-witted, creative and always in a good mood – this is how TV presenter Joko Winterscheidt has presented himself in his shows for years. The 45-year-old revealed in the “Deutschland3000” podcast that there are also dark moments in his private life. “I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told before. I started therapy a year and a half ago because I wasn’t feeling well for other reasons,” said Winterscheidt in an interview with journalist Eva Schulz.

“I can only recommend this to everyone. The problem is that a lot of people need therapy, but it is incredibly difficult to get a place. Thank God I had very great people around me who thought about it. For a long time, “before I got to the point of realizing for myself that it might be necessary to seek out someone to help you. I’m very good at helping others, but very bad at helping myself,” Winterscheidt said .

He made the decision to seek therapy after a “disastrous summer vacation.” He traveled with friends through the most beautiful places in Europe, but “I felt really shitty. I didn’t feel anything. That did something to me and I thought: That’s not normal, that’s not good. I was empty inside.” The therapy helped him to get to know himself better. “Being the center of attention isn’t really my thing,” said Winterscheidt. He always focuses on his surroundings. “I only feel good when everyone else feels good too.” However, his extreme need for harmony led to internal conflicts. In the meantime he has learned to assert his point of view more clearly. “Then it might be uncomfortable for the others, but whatever.”

The presenter also spoke about his mother’s death from cancer. She died when he was only six years old. “I grew up without a mother. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” He never really came to terms with his early loss. “For me, the sentence was always: I don’t know anything different, so it’s okay for me. But I think I lied to myself for a long time. It was simply the fear of confrontation that this happened. Because “When I was so young, I didn’t realize what I had lost.”

To this day he has very few memories of his mother. One of his favorites is the fact that he has a weakness for Malaga ice cream. It was his mother’s favorite ice cream flavor.

Source: “Germany3000”