The Masked Singer
"The total girl's dream" for Franziska van Almsick
"The Masked Singer": Franziska van Almsick was exposed as a unicorn.
© ProSieben / Willi Weber
Franziska van Almsick was the "The Masked Singer" unicorn. In an interview, she reveals what her sons think of the "girl's dream made of tulle".
Former swimming superstar Franziska van Almsick (42, "Paul Plantschnase") was under the 16 kilo unicorn costume that was handcrafted in 300 hours of the singing and advice show "The Masked Singer" (Tuesdays, 8:15 pm, ProSieben ). In an interview with spot on news, after being exposed in yesterday's live show, she reveals, among other things, whether her sons still found the "girl's dream made of tulle" cool. She also tells whether the secrecy worked for her – "It's stupid if you have to fool".
How sad are you that you didn't make it to the third round?
Franziska van Almsick: My inner ambition is still struggling with the satisfaction of having managed it quite well. At the moment, however, the ambition is even stronger. But soon he will calm down and realize that it was a great experience. Right now I'm still a little tense, I have to admit that.
How difficult was it to keep your participation in "The Masked Singer" a secret?
Franziska van Almsick: It wasn't easy to just get out of normal life. Especially in times of pandemic, when you are very close to the family. Fortunately, there are currently no events or birthday parties that I would have missed if in doubt. Not being able to tell family or close friends was very weird. Such moments have rarely been seen in my life.
Have you been recognized by friends or family anyway?
Franziska van Almsick: I have a chat with my best friends and they have already had a great chat about it. And it was really tricky to get myself out of there with a good explanation. On the other hand, I might have been a little offended if people who knew me and my voice so well had said that there was no way it could be me. But many have also held back. And tonight I got a lot of messages from friends and acquaintances like "I knew it!" and the like. But you were kind enough not to write to me and ask me beforehand. So I didn't have to cheat her. It's stupid to have to fool.
How did you like your unicorn costume?
Franziska van Almsick: I think all the masks are really breathtaking. You can't even imagine how much manual work and time it goes into and how beautiful the details are. I'm not that princess dress and tulle friend and my costume was very cheesy and pink. But somehow you just have to love the unicorn. It was the total girl's dream and I would have liked more girls to have been up at 11pm last night. You would then have voted for me and I might have made it one more round (laughs).
And what did your two sons (14 and 7 years old) say that you were the unicorn of all people? Did you find it cool anyway?
Franziska van Almsick: Amazingly, my little one was sad that it was over after he even found out this morning that I had participated. I think he thought the unicorn was pretty cool. But they would probably have found the bull pretty cool too. As a consolation, I promised them that I would now have more time for it. Before that, we spent 24 hours together in home office and homeschooling times. That was quite a change when I suddenly had to go back to work at the weekend and at the beginning of the week. I had to come up with some excuses.
The costumes are heavy and hot. What fitness tip do you give future participants?
Franziska van Almsick: My costume weighed 16 kilos. I'm already very athletic, so it wasn't too much of a challenge for me. But I believe that a certain level of fitness is definitely an advantage.
Who do you think will win the race?
Franziska van Almsick: The leopard has already done it to me. He has a breathtaking voice and it sounds like a big repertoire. I look forward to everything that comes from him.