Collien Fernandes: The actress reported her ex-husband Christian Ulmen.Image: www.imago-images.de
In March, Collien Fernandes made it public that she had been “virtually raped” and that she had reported her ex-husband. Now she is responding to criticism for doing this as the mother of a daughter.
May 11, 2026, 5:14 p.mMay 11, 2026, 5:18 p.m
Maria Bode / t-online
Actress and presenter Collien Fernandes said in an interview with “Stern” that she had thought for a long time about whether she should publicly accuse Christian Ulmen. “Of course it is incredibly difficult to report the father of your own child, which is why many women decide against it,” she explained. But silence is much more problematic.
“It is precisely this attitude that leads to perpetrators not being held accountable.” She also emphasized: “The abuse took place in public from the beginning. With these social media accounts he created a false image of me – in public. And I had to straighten that out. You can’t say that this is a private matter.”
In mid-April, moderator Markus Lanz said in “Stern” among other things: “I have no reason to doubt the reporting, but on a purely human level I feel compassion not only for Collien Fernandes, but also for the rest of the family, for their daughter, who has to continue to go to school.”
Fernandes sees it differently: “But what kind of signal would that have been to my daughter if I hadn’t done it?” she asked. A friend told her after the allegations against Ulmen were published: “This is the best thing you could have done for your daughter: that if something like that were to happen to her, she would have learned that she doesn’t have to protect the perpetrator – no matter how close he is to her.” Fernandes also said: “In addition, our trial in Spain would probably have taken place publicly anyway.”
“So the terror goes on and on”
Looking back, Fernandes still said: “I don’t know whether, based on my experiences, I would say to a woman who asked me for advice: report him!” Although she receives numerous emotional messages, they also contain “endless terror,” as she explained. “Because it’s not just the crime that you have to deal with, but also the perpetrator’s lack of guilt. So the terror continues. Perpetrators distort the course of events and spread false allegations about the victim.”
Christian Ulmen and Collien Fernandes were married from 2011 to 2025.Image: DPA
In addition, digital violence continues to be trivialized, said Fernandes. «Yes, digital violence is not violence that leaves bruises. But the pain is real and needs to be dealt with therapeutically. That’s why training is needed for those who come into contact with victims – teachers, police officers, people in the justice system,” she said.
There is currently no ray of hope for her, said Fernandes: “Right now I don’t see much light. I just wish that negotiations take place quickly. And that this whole horror is finally over.”
Christian Ulmen is accused by his ex-wife Collien Fernandes of having created fake profiles in her name over the years and using them to communicate with numerous men. According to Fernandes, he is said to have distributed digitally generated pornographic content that resembled her. He denies the allegations. The presumption of innocence applies.