Konny Reimann
He talks about his violent stepfather
Konny Reimann
© Eibner press photo / Picture Alliance
In the new autobiography by Manuela and Konny Reimann, the cult emigrant speaks openly about his difficult childhood like never before. His stepfather beat him and his siblings every day.
Konny Reimann came into contact with brute force as a “small child”
Konny Reimann grew up with two siblings in Hamburg-Harburg. His mother was only 16 years old when he was born in 1955. In the book, which “Bild” already has, Konny explains that his stepfather Uwe was the first male caregiver. But he makes it clear: “He was not a good person.” The former sailor suffered from an alcohol problem and was extremely violent. “He brought me into contact with brute force as a small child,” says Reimann. One of his earliest memories is of his stepfather “brutally beating” his little brother. “He held my brother by his feet, upside down, in the air and hit him with full force with a belt. Yes, people, those were horrible times,” remembers Konny, who was only four years old at the time.
Manuela Reimann with her husband Konny
© instagram.com/manuelareimann
The violence became part of everyday life; Konny and his siblings regularly had to line up in a row and Uwe would then beat them with a belt: “This violence happened so often that I can remember that at some point the beating no longer hurt at all . I just let it happen over and over again. […] Once he hit me in the face with his fist so brutally that blood even splattered on the wall.”
He was able to escape when he started training
Konny Reimann lived in constant fear. He once even nailed the front door shut to prevent his stepfather from entering the apartment. He no longer knows whether Uwe also physically attacked Konny’s mother – but he assumes so. At the age of 17, Konny was finally able to escape because he began his training as a ship mechanic and moved into the shipyard dormitory. At the same time he started karate so that he could defend himself in the future.
At the same age, the TV emigrant also met his biological father Paul. Only two years earlier, the now 68-year-old found out that Uwe was not his biological father. ““I’m very happy that Paul continued to play a role in my life for quite a long time,” said Reimann. His violent childhood had an impact on Konny’s social behavior. Things like empathy were “greatly reduced” for him, they say Since he became a grandfather, his empathy has completely returned. But he emphasizes: “But it took far more than 40 years.”
Source used: bild.de