Paola Felix about life without her husband: “I’m alone, but not lonely”

Singer and moderator Paola Felix (74) looked at her upcoming appearance at the ESC in Basel. On May 17th, the Swiss will celebrate as a show, including with Luca Hänni (30) in a medley “The Musical ESC heritage of Switzerland”.

It was “something unique and a great joy” for her to return to the ESC, which means a lot to her, Felix said in the interview with the format “Si.Talk”. “I was twice at the Eurovision Song Contest, now a third time except competition and without the pressure,” says the singer, looking forward to her appearance. “It is a wonderful end, a circle closes.” She owes the ESC “everything” that he was the start of her career.

In 1969 Felix took part in the music contest for the first time and traveled the song ‘Bonjour, Bonjour,’ as “18-year-old girl to Madrid, in her luggage, the musician recalls. At that time she finished fifth. In 1980 she started again for Switzerland and made it fourth with “Cinéma” in the Hague. Her ESC history also connects her with her late husband.

In 2012, the singer and moderator hit a difficult stroke of fate: her husband Kurt Felix (1941-2012), with whom she was also through the success show “Do you understand fun?” led, died of cancer at the age of 71. “A year of infinite sadness is behind me,” said Paola Felix in 2013 of the “Swiss illustrated”. In 2019 she told her husband in an interview with SRF: “It was a great love that she only existed once in life. Kurt and I were intended for each other. We were soul mates.”

In “Si.Talk” she looks back on her ESC participation in the Hague, where she supported Kurt Felix. “It was a wonderful feeling to know that there is someone behind the stage who keeps my fingers crossed for me.” Every free minute used the two back then to plan their wedding, which also took place in 1980. 13 years after his death, Paola Felix says about her husband today: “It is a loss, but on the other hand he is still there for me. He is always and everywhere present and in my heart.”

A consolation for her is “that we had it so well. That accompanies me to this day.” It was a change to live alone “because we made everything hand in hand”. Nevertheless, it is not lonely. “Just yes, but that’s many. That is not negative. Lonely would not be good.” She has long -time friends and family around, “that is good for me”. When asked whether she wanted to share her life with another partner, Paola Felix explains: “I still share it with my dear Kurt. The thought is not there at all. He stays my main character in my life.”