In mid-July, Ralf Schumacher, a former professional Formula 1 driver and brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, made waves on social media by announcing his homosexuality in an Instagram post. He also did so by introducing his partner: Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, a former official of the National Front and the National Rally (Marine Le Pen’s party). The surprise was huge, not so much because of the announcement, but because of Schumacher’s romantic past, who was married to actress and model Cora Brinkmann between 2001 and 2015.
Of all the reactions to Ralf’s words, those of his ex-wife were perhaps the most curious. The German woman broke her silence in an interview with Der Spiegel in which she opened up without filters, saying, among other things, that she received the announcement “like a stab in the heart.”
“I feel used during marriage”
“I wish Ralf had involved me or at least made me a part of his decision, it would have been a sign of respect,” he said, suggesting that he had already tried to ask him about the matter in the past and that he, far from telling him the truth, preferred to hide it: “During his career in Formula 1, there were many rumours in the paddock. I asked him to clarify if what was said was true, but he always denied it, telling me that I was imagining everything and that maybe he needed psychological help.”
Brinkmann’s reaction was marked by pain and frustration. “When he announced it, it was like a stab in the heart. Coming out always affects those around you, including the ex-wife with whom you had a child. Today I feel used during the marriage. I feel like I wasted my best years,” she confesses. Now, she says, questions pile up in her head: “Was he honest with me? And there is something even more important that is on my mind: did he love me? I trusted him blindly and that is why his word was law for me.”
The reaction of his son
His son David had very different words for commenting on the post with which his father announced the news, showing himself to be extremely proud of his father. “I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you can truly say that you feel very comfortable and safe, whether you are a man or a woman. I support you 100% dad and I wish you all the best. Congratulations,” he wrote.
As for Ralf himself, his reaction, evident in his statements to Hardenacke meets, is one of surprise at the magnitude of his announcement. “I really didn’t expect this, nor did I think it would interest so many people or be discussed publicly. I thought it would be a bit out of the spotlight,” he said, highlighting the “pleasant” reaction from the Formula 1 world.
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His intention, he confessed in the aforementioned podcast, was none other than “to make my relationship with Étienne clear.” He stays away from statements and banners. “I don’t want to represent anything, it’s uniquely and simply about Étienne and me,” he asserted, grateful for the “flood of love” and happy to feel, all in all, freer than ever.
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