On Monday evening, Barrandov Television will present another episode from the series “The Story of Great Love”, which this time will be dedicated to the marriage of actor and presenter Mark Eben and his wife Markéta. This year they will celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary, and their life together, marked by tragic events, would make for a touching novel.
They got married on December 18, 1982, which is Marek’s birthday. According to him, it was a great coincidence, because it was the only date when they both had time off. And in addition, he admitted a rather curious thing. He said he decided to get married because of the advice of his friends, that if you are married, you don’t have to pay high taxes. But he learned that it was just a myth when he was married. Although he often talks about his marriage with his characteristic good-natured humor, its beginning was marked by great tragedy. The first child, daughter Terezka, was born prematurely and died a few days later.
A blessing in disguise
As if this misfortune were not enough, Markéta suffered a stroke in 1986, four years after her marriage and at the age of only twenty-six. Her condition was so serious that it was speculated that she would not survive extensive brain damage, and the doctors were also preparing Mark for this worst possible scenario. At that time, the news even spread in the backrooms of Prague that the actress, who was very popular at the time, had died. All the more so since she lay unconscious in the hospital for several weeks. Fortunately, Markéta survived, albeit with a very serious disability. Among other things, she was also paralyzed in the face and was breathing with the help of machines. Since then, she has been confined to a wheelchair and is completely dependent on the care of others. And those who remember the beautiful actress from several films and series, for example “We all have to go to school”, would hardly recognize her today.
Loving care
The way in which Marek Eben copes with the family tragedy is truly admirable. Not only does he take care of his wife with the help of a nurse he has hired, but he tries to make her live as normal a life as possible. He even takes it with him to the most demanding social events. On them, you can see Markéta sitting on the edge of the row in a wheelchair and watching with interest one of the social events that Marek moderates. For example, his wife is a regular participant of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary. After all, it’s very close to him. Marek freed her from the restrictive life in the center of Prague and they moved to the countryside.
A few years ago, they had a family house built near Karlovy Vary, near one of the local golf courses. Markéta spends a lot of time on them, often in the company of her guard dog. You can even meet her alone and it is obvious at first sight that she feels good in the countryside. And the same goes for Mark. For him, Karlovy Vary is the place where he got his first theater engagement and has been moderating the opening and closing of the International Film Festival here for twenty-five years. He also dedicated one of his funny songs to the spa town.
Source: Wikipedia, ČSFD, TV Barrandov
