- "I'm a student, he's a wealthy individual," is a rephrasing of Jenny Elvers' statement regarding her connection with Farin Holiday.
Coming up this weekend, The Doctors, formed in 1982 with leaders Farin Urlaub and Bela B, alongside Rodrigo González, will be taking the stage once more in Berlin. They won't be performing just anywhere, but on the grounds of the old Templehof Airport, with an expected audience of around 60,000. And they're not scheduling a single show, but three.
The band's success in German rock is undeniable, and yet, they've managed to keep their private lives remarkably private. One of the few known facts about Bela B, a.k.a. Dirk Felsenheimer, is that he's a father. As for Farin Urlaub, formerly known as Jan Vetter, his relationship with actress Jenny Elvers has been publicly disclosed.
Jenny Elvers: "Nobody knew"
In an upcoming episode of the NDR talk show "Deep and Clear," airing in September and currently available in the ARD media library, Elvers shares some intriguing details about her past with the musician. She met him in the 80s, when she was still in school. "I was 17, 18," she says, and quickly adds, "Just your average teenager."
Urlaub was her "first boyfriend," Elvers reveals. Despite their four-year relationship, it remained a secret at the time: "Nobody knew." She met him, she explains, "at a concert. It was a very exciting time, because they were at the peak of their career, touring 'Westerland.'"
They stayed in touch, albeit not as easily as today: "We didn't have cell phones, just a big orange phone with a long cord. My parents always listened when I talked on the phone." They also wrote letters.
Farin Urlaub lived with Jenny Elvers' family
"Then The Doctors broke up and Jan... moved into my room in my house," Elvers reveals further. The biggest challenge wasn't the age difference, but their vastly different lifestyles. "I was still in school, he was at the height of his career, fresh off leaving the band," she explains, adding, "He was a millionaire with plenty of time, I was a student. And it wasn't in Berlin or any big city, but in the Lüneburg Heath, in Amelinghausen, in my room, with my parents, my little brother, and my grandmother still living there."
This setup lasted for a few months, Elvers reveals. "Then he bought a house in the Lüneburg Heath, right next door. That's when I moved out of the room and into my own house. That was my first taste of adult life," she adds.
Elvers speaks highly of Urlaub in the conversation. "We traveled a lot together. In fact, I learned a lot from him. He's very well-read, a very intelligent man," she says. "I truly loved him," Elvers confirms. This is why their relationship remained hidden from the press – "because I didn't want to become famous because of any man." She felt more like "a country girl" unsure of her place: "What did I have to offer him?" It was only when she gained her own fame as "The Heidequeen" that she found her "right level of self-confidence."
Later, Elvers became known for her roles in films like "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Knallhart," and the comedy series "Nikola." She also appeared in various reality TV shows. Among her high-profile partners post-divorce are Dieter Bohlen, Heiner Lauterbach, and Thomas D of the Fantastic Four. With Alex Jolig, a "Big Brother" participant from the first season, she has her only child, a son born in 2001. She was married just once, from 2003 to 2014, to her former manager Goetz Elbertzhagen.
This article was originally published on ntv.de
The doctors, namely Farin Urlaub and Bela B, have kept their personal lives quite private despite their successful music career. During their relationship in the 80s, Jenny Elvers, Urlaub's former girlfriend, had to communicate secretly with him due to the lack of modern communication tools.
