Frank Otto talks about his young ex-girlfriend, why he is currently single – and how he fulfills women’s dreams.
His surname is known worldwide because Frank Otto’s father Werner had turned his Hamburg mail order company into a multi-billion dollar global corporation. Frank Otto is also a successful entrepreneur, he is involved in the media industry. In public, however, he is best known for his unconventional private life. Talking to GALA about his three marriages – and his turbulent relationship with model Nathalie Volk.
Frank Otto in a GALA interview
GALA: “Franki, basically you are the only one of my sons who comes after me”, your father once said, as you now tell in your book.
Frank Otto: Yes, he always had trouble with drummers, just like me. And he wanted to be a writer, so he also had an artistic side. He has always seen me as the family artist. He was very aware of the diversity of his children, which was quite progressive for his generation.
One would actually think that he would have liked to have everyone in the corporation.
I think he would have liked to see me at the company. But he accepted that this wasn’t my way.
Do you envy your brother Michael, the boss of the company?
Zero. On the contrary. When you have to manage a corporation, it becomes difficult to be self-determined.
You grew up with your father without your mother. How much did you miss her?
My father wanted a divorce, but not my mother seeing me so little. There were visiting regulations and weekends that I spent with her. Later, when I flew out of boarding school for the third time, I lived with her for a while. My mother was very young when she got me. The first women I was with also became mothers at a young age and also had a problem with their offspring. For me it was completely normal.
“I’m very happy right now that I don’t have to have a steady relationship”
So normal that the daughter of an ex-girlfriend stayed with you very early on. You were only in your early 20s.
That was very good for me. The everyday life of a child is very structured, so my everyday life also got structure for the first time. I got up early, made breakfast, took her to kindergarten and later to school. I had a lot of fun. Well, not necessarily every morning (laughs).
We have a very good relationship. One difference to my biological children with her is that I first had to learn to understand her. It’s more intuitive with your own children. They all have an artistic inclination, which my foster daughter doesn’t like. That’s probably the genes.
What is the most important thing in raising your children?
It sounds a bit cheesy, but it hits the mark: the ability to love. Empathy. And understanding for others.
Obviously it worked! Your children were very compassionate when your relationship with Nathalie Volk broke up.
Yes, I was pleasantly surprised.
There was a three-hour family meeting – your last two wives were also there.
And that too went amazingly. Whenever a new woman comes into my life, it is difficult for her direct predecessor. Of course she thinks: “Oh God, what’s going on?” So my ex-wives don’t get along very well for a variety of reasons. So I was delighted that both of them suddenly spoke with one voice. Without being hurtful, very solidary.
How do they find their current girlfriend?
I have no. I’m very happy right now that I don’t have to have a steady relationship.
“As a single I don’t have to endure any moods”
What’s the nice thing about being single?
That I can let myself go in a certain way. There are no expectations, I don’t have to endure any moods and I don’t need to pretend. I feel extremely free right now. And I can see women with completely different eyes, I find different things about each other attractive. I enjoy that.
You suffered greatly from the separation from Nathalie. What helped you with the processing?
My family again. It was late November, Christmas time came, and all the children were there. That was a healing combination.
The hostility from outside, you write, would have welded you and Nathalie close together. Otherwise, would the relationship have broken down sooner?
I do not know that. But it was a very special bond. We were extremely close. But Nathalie was really very young.
And very pretty.
Yes, it is a real eye catcher.
Frank Otto and Nathalie Volk are still in contact
Are you following what she’s doing?
I don’t stalk them. But I already know what she posts.
Nathalie said they would continue to promote their art.
Yes, we are in contact.
Love and relationships are a big topic in your book: you always need something different.
Well, I’ll put it this way: You fall in love with a woman because of certain characteristics. At first there is a lot of light and little shade. Years go by and the proportions of light and shadow change. In the case of Sandra, my second wife, I was drawn to her strength. At some point this quality was no longer so important to me. Maybe even a little exhausting. Well, I’ll just say it now: I sometimes had to suffer from the fact that she was rhetorically superior to me. (laughs)
Depending on your partner’s wishes, you lived in the country or in the city. How do you actually want to live yourself?
I’m trying to find out. My ex-wife Astrid, for example, still lives on the horse farm that we lived in. It is a nice feeling to know that I have fulfilled her lifelong dream.
Are you a man who always makes a woman’s dreams come true?
Not necessarily. In that case it was so. And I like that. In your opinion, women have an increased need for protection.
How did you find getting married?
Insanely narrow-minded, I was a hippie. In my opinion, it also has something to do with training: Sandra, who had a great job, wasn’t focused on marriage.
Could you imagine stepping in front of the altar again?
It was really never that important to me. So I would say: three times is enough.