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THE NEW LEAF visited the actress and her mother Heike
Now we know from whom Saskia Valencia has her sympathetic smile: from her mother Heike (67). But not only the laughter of the actress (46) is from mom. She reveals this to us in an exclusive interview in her home near Hamburg, where she lives with television star Helmut Zierl (53).
The new leaf: You and your mother are very affectionate to each other. What do you appreciate about her? Saskia Valencia: My mother was a young mother to me and is now an open-minded, youthful grandmother for my children (son Leon, 18, and daughter Alexandra, 24, red.). I've always admired her for how she got everything under one roof in her life: she was a very loving mom, wife, housewife and teacher. My mother has always worked. And yet, you never had the feeling that another area of life was missing out. She is for me the epitome of a modern woman. I am very grateful to her for showing me this way. I had a beautiful childhood. For me it was sometimes difficult to give the security we had as a child to my children. The struggle for existence has become tougher nowadays. Especially because as an actor you usually work freelance.
What did your parents - your mother was a teacher, your father's doctor - give you?
Saskia Valencia: You have taught my sister and me a great love of nature. I still like to gather mushrooms today. In addition, they have a great general education, are culturally well versed and my mother is a language talent. Of course, many of them have been passed on to us. We were always very close.
What was your mother's most important advice?
Saskia Valencia: My mother is holding back a lot when it comes to "good advice". I think she prefers to watch her seed grow up with her daughters. Only when my daughter was born did she say to me, 'Saskia, you're responsible for this child for a lifetime.' It was not until much later that I truly understood what that meant.
What did you teach your own children?
Saskia Valencia: For my parents, performance, honesty, tolerance, behavior - and that we live up to. I tried to pass that on to my children as well.
How were you as a daughter?
Saskia Valencia: During puberty, my mother had a hard time with me. I think my struggle for freedom was sometimes terribly unnerving for her. But since then we understand each other very well. Especially since I understood a lot after the birth of my children, what she must have moved earlier.
She is certainly also one of her most important advisers. What did she say when your marriage broke up?
Saskia Valencia: Your spontaneous first reaction was: you can not do that! But then she got behind me very fast.
And how does your mother get along with your today's life partner Helmut Zierl?
Saskia Valencia: The two understand each other very well. Mom likes Helmut and he likes her too.
Do not you wish that they both marry?
Saskia Valencia: (Saskia laughs) She once said to Helmut: 'Now we're already chatting with all your relatives. But now you have to marry. ' So I think she wants that. But there we do our own thing.
