Ilona Christen
Her mysterious death – and a husband who tried to appease
Ilona Christen (†)
© dpa / Horst Galuschka / Picture Alliance
In Hollywood or at home in Germany, unbelievable stories not only happen in front of the camera, but also behind it. GALA looks back at the most mysterious deaths and fates. This time: the incredible accidental death of talk show pioneer Ilona Christen.
In the 2000s, Ilona Christen, who had lived in Switzerland since marrying contractor Ambros Christen in 1982, suddenly disappeared from the scene. She rarely appeared in public. It was to be her last living decade. According to her husband, Ilona died on July 31, 2009 at the age of 58 as a result of blood poisoning as a result of falling down the stairs. Her death still raises questions to this day.
Ilona Christen dies at 58: The details of her mysterious death
The unexpected news of Ilona Christen’s accidental death shocked everyone in July 2009. Her husband Ambros Christen first confirmed to the newspaper “SonntagsBlick” that she had succumbed to blood poisoning. He further explained that Ilona fell down a flight of stairs on July 8th. However, she refused “to go to the doctor. Only when her right arm turned dark blue did she go to the hospital,” said Ambros Christen.
Ilona and Ambros Christen
© Peter Bischoff / Getty Images
He continued: “There they found a broken collarbone and a severe hematoma [blauer Fleck, Anmerkung der Redaktion] firmly. Her severely weakened body could not recover from blood poisoning that followed later.” In an interview with “Bunte”, he added: “A week before her death, her body showed the first signs of poisoning. In the end, her blood was completely poisoned.” “No antibiotics” or “blood dialysis” would have helped either. “Liver and kidneys” failed, it came to “septic shock”, his wife “fell into a coma […]died on July 31”.
Rumors about depression, suicidal thoughts and cancer are loud: Ilona’s husband takes a stand
It’s a story that’s hard to take — especially for Christen’s husband. Rumors about an alleged illness or depression quickly became loud. Ilona Christen is said to have gained a lot of weight, and there was even talk of suicidal thoughts. At some point, Ambros Christen could no longer remain silent and took a stand a few days after his wife’s death.
One of Ilona Christen’s last public appearances alongside ex-HSV professional Bernd Wehmeyer at the “Sport Bild” awards in August 2004 in Hamburg.
© dpa / Wolfgang Langenstrassen / Picture Alliance
In conversation with the In the Swiss daily “blick” he described his wife’s alleged suicidal thoughts as “nonsense” and explained:
I would have known if she was suicidal. We were a member of Exit and had living wills, so people talk openly about death. Nor was she physically ill.
“It’s true that she had put on weight over the past few years, but…”
He also had to deny an alleged thyroid tumor, due to which Ilona Christen is said to have gained weight. Ambros explained to “Bunte”: “It is true that she had gained weight in recent years, but not because she allegedly had a thyroid tumor. […] She just liked to eat and that’s why she gained weight”. In this interview he also emphasized that the popular TV face was “otherwise perfectly healthy”.
This is how Ilona Christen felt after she withdrew from the limelight
Ilona Christen is said to have coped well with her sudden departure from the limelight at the end of the 90s. Your house with a garden According to her husband, she loved Lake Lucerne and thus fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Here at Lake Lucerne Above Ennetbürgen, Ilona Christen is said to have spent the rest of her life happy and content.
© Carol | Muhs / Picture Alliance
In addition, the couple would have done a lot after the TV break. “She took photos, collected art, we traveled half the world,” he quotes “blick”. It sounds like a wonderful old age. And yet the end of Ilona Christen always creates question marks …
Sources used: Bunte.de, blick.ch