Circus air enchants and sometimes even awakens unexpected abilities. TV presenter Jörg Pilawa (57) still wonders what he was capable of in 2001 when he appeared on the TV show “Stars in the Manege”. Now he’s hosting the show again.
But instead of taking himself to dizzying heights, he and Jana Ina Zarrella are the director of the circus and present stars like Dieter Hallervorden, Nazan Eckes and Sarah Engels.
In 2002, Jana Ina was still Pilawa’s assistant
BILD am SONNTAG: What was it like back then with “Stars in the Manege”, Mr. Pilawa?
Jörg Pilawa: “I was the ceiling runner, hanging upside down under the circus dome, trying to play basketball. I was told the act only works on experienced acrobats. But I really wanted to try it. I managed thirty seconds in the rehearsals and four minutes in the performance. I was raw from the steel cable in my crotch.”
Presenter Nazan Eckes (46) goes up in the air with the Khadgaa troupe
Jana Ina Zarrella: “Respect! I couldnt do that. If my children want to ride a roller coaster, I send my husband Giovanni or my father-in-law along. I get sick just watching it.”
Pilawa and Zarrella have known and liked each other for twenty years. Jana Ina, who had just moved to Germany from Brazil at the time, was Pilawa’s assistant on his TV shows “Rekordfieber” and “Gold Gold Gold” on the first. He was the star, she was the asterisk, but it worked right away.
Actor Dieter Hallervorden (87) ventures into the death wheel
Zarrella: “I could speak German, but really not well. I learned my few sentences by heart for the shows. I had to concentrate so much, I was excited. But Jörg was…”
Pilawa: “… think carefully about what you say.”
Have you ever had a circus?
Zarrella: “Jörg was super nice and polite to me from day one, although I certainly lived up to every cliché. Model, young and from abroad. Jörg never let me feel that he had to work with a beginner. He gave me a sense of security, which was incredibly important to me. After all, he was already a big name on German TV back then and I was young and inexperienced. I admire his down-to-earthness. That is one of the most beautiful qualities a human being can have.”
Pilawa: “Jana Ina embodies everything that makes up Brazilian football for us Germans: passion, love, fun. That’s how she is. She makes it easy for you to like her. All hearts go to her, everyone loves her. And she speaks much better German than I do Portuguese.”
Do you feel responsible for their success?
Pilawa: “Responsible would be too much of an honor. But I think I was able to give her that feeling from day one: ‘You’re good, keep at it, don’t give up.’ The path to a TV career is difficult. There are ups and downs. We all know that. We are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Your husband has also experienced it.”
TV star Evelyn Burdecki (34) becomes a living target on “Stars in der Manege” (December 30 and January 6, each time at 8:15 p.m., Sat.1).
Zarrella: “When Giovanni got his own ZDF show, Jörg was one of the first to congratulate him via SMS. I will never forget that, Giovanni was happy too.”
Pilawa: “As soon as you are in Hamburg, I will cook for you. I agreed that with Giovanni a long time ago.”
Ms. Zarrella, you met your husband in 2003 on a Pilawa show.
Zarrella: “That’s correct. But it wasn’t love at first sight for us, it took a little while for both of us to hit it off, but that made it all the greater. We got married in 2005.”
Mr Pilawa, be honest: Have you ever flirted with Jana Ina?
Pilawa: “No I have not. I don’t want to say that I had fatherly feelings for Jana Ina, rather I felt and still feel like her big brother. When I eventually heard that she was dating Giovanni, I was incredibly happy.”
Does it annoy you to be praised as a mother-in-law sweetheart?
Pilawa: “No. It’s nice when people want to have me at the dinner table with one of my shows almost every night.”
This article comes from BILD am SONNTAG. The ePaper of the entire issue is available here.
