He is 16 years younger – she became a mother again at 50: There is a lot that is unusual about Caroline Beil and Philipp Sattler. Now they surprise again.
Two found each other! That becomes clear very quickly when GALA meets Caroline Beil, 56, and her husband Philipp Sattler, 40, in Berlin. The actress and the oral surgeon snuggle up to each other during the interview, laugh a lot and often complete each other’s sentences – without interrupting each other. How fitting that they recently started a podcast together: “pair talks” is the title.
Caroline Beil and Philipp Sattler: “We are a team”
GALA: How do couple talks work privately for you?
Caroline Bell: We talk so much, actually all day.
Philip Sattler: Yes, that’s the way it is. (both laugh)
Caroline: I’m very fortunate to be with a guy who does something different every few weeks. And everything can. He starts to paint and everyone is amazed. Or he builds a nativity scene – I have never seen one like this in my life. Now he is studying Stoicism. He has also collected old Bibles and learned Italian. Boy is so extreme! There is always something we discuss, something we deal with. That’s great.
In your life there is never a dull moment.
Caroline: We are a team, we complement each other perfectly. We always need a project, fill the house, work. We love that. And when we’re done…
Philip: … let’s start something new. In the summer I mutated into a gardener. I restored the lawn, which two professionals had already given up, as in Park Sanssoucis. That would be unbearable for most people, and it can be exhausting for a partner.
Especially when she’s a little older.
Philip: Caro is younger by nature. I sometimes have an older, more conservative attitude than them.
Caroline: Yes, he is much more reasonable. Finances, pensions, insurance – that’s not mine. I don’t think as far ahead as Philipp.
Philip: But I’m not as rigid as I used to be. We have a good influence on each other.
The age difference was never an issue
Some people had reservations about you because of the age difference.
Philip: Yes, nobody would have bet on us.
Caroline: But this is our life. We wake up together in the morning. Why should my relationship be evaluated?
The fact that you became a mother again at the age of 50 also heated things up. How do you feel today when you bring your children to school or kindergarten?
Caroline: It’s a private school, they’re all so old there – those who used to be grandmas are now mothers. (laughs) Seriously: We have never experienced these discussions in our private lives. That is also an inner perception. Even when I had my son at the age of 42, I was definitely still biologically at the level of a 30-year-old.
A long-distance relationship as a marriage tip?
Her husband commutes between Berlin and his specialist practice in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia. How’s that for you?
Caroline: Silly. Basically, I’m a single parent half the week. That is exhausting.
But it keeps the relationship fresh.
Caroline: Yes, you can look forward to each other.
Philip: Every Wednesday night when I come back, we sort of have a date.
Do you have any other marriage tips?
Philip: Every once in a while we’ll slink away to the hotel for a night or a weekend. We just made a short trip to our own city.
Caroline: One must not lose oneself in the daily routine. I’m not just the mommy! If you say Daddy to your husband, it’s all over. And you can not only see yourself as a couple, but also on your own in order to achieve inner balance.
Philip: With us, everything is not always peace, joy, pancakes. The more everyday life there is, the more difficult the relationship is. When we sit in the piazza in Rome, everything is great. But honestly, most of them work. You have to be careful not to just function and fall by the wayside.
Caroline: And don’t wait until you retire! Then you might have a heart attack. Living and enjoying the moment is important to me.
Neither of them like standing still
Do you have dreams for the future?
Caroline: We probably won’t live here anymore. We have so many ideas in our heads.
Philip: The worst thing would be if there was a tooth on my tombstone. (laughs) I find it boring doing the same thing all your life. Maintaining the freedom of mind is important, maybe opening a hotel in Thailand or moving into a log cabin in Canada. Although it probably won’t.
Caroline: We love warm weather, so Germany doesn’t always have to be.
Philip: For me it would be Italy.
Caroline: I think southern France is beautiful.
But first you moved from Berlin to Kleinmachnow. Are you getting stuffy now?
Caroline: We ask ourselves that every day. The decision to move to the country was made during the Corona period, when we longed for a garden. Now we feel very good. But the kids don’t think it’s that great, they ask, “Mommy, why didn’t we stay in town?” Maybe we’ll move again.
Philip: I’m glad about the experience of being a gardener. How much time is spent repairing and maintaining something!
Caroline: The leaves are still lying around in sacks with us.
Philip: If I’m asked if I want to do gardening or fly to Rome and have an Aperol, I’ll take the second. There is something about being able to quickly and easily lock up an apartment. Especially when the children say that they aren’t all that keen on the country and that the wife doesn’t plant any tulips either.
Caroline: But I like to sit on the terrace, drink a coffee and look at the sun.