Whether on the ice or in front of the camera: Tanja Szewczenko (45) has long defined happiness as professional success. Until she realized that she was missing something completely different in life: a second child. In her new book "Through Hell to Happiness" she describes the long and arduous road to family happiness with her husband Norman Jeschke (43) and their children Jona (11), Leo (1) and Luis (1). She speaks openly and honestly about her fertility treatments and miscarriages. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the actress and former figure skater reveals why she would deal with these issues differently in hindsight and why giving up was never an option for her.

Tanja Szewczenko: During my last pregnancy, I decided relatively early on not to remain silent any longer. I just didn't want it anymore. Even though I knew it could have gone wrong. But I got to a point where it was no longer acceptable to me. During the fertility journey, I had the idea of ​​writing everything down one day. Either for me alone, to process what happened, or for other affected people.

Szewczenko: I would like to break the taboos on miscarriages and fertility treatment to a certain extent. It is difficult for many of those affected to communicate, as the circumstances often leave you speechless.

Szewczenko: When I finally started talking about it, it wasn't difficult for me at all. It just gushed out of me. I felt the relief from sentence to sentence. Opening up can also be very healing. I quickly noticed how many fellow sufferers there are.

Szewczenko: I would deal with it differently today. In hindsight, I wish I had shared it with more people from the start. When I imagine that I didn't even know that a good friend of mine had a similar problem, I wonder what's going wrong. I also dedicate a few lines in my book to this idea. I try to shed light on why we remain silent and who or what makes or made us do so.

Szewczenko: I don't know. I was fired in the summer of 2018 during my fertility journey. I had just had my first failed artificial insemination. That was a bitter blow. I had two embryos and then lost my job.

Szewczenko: The desire was very strong and my gut feeling always told me that it wasn't impossible, that something was wrong. Also, it's in my nature to fight, persevere, get up and move on. That's why I was able to become a successful high-performance athlete. In my sport, it was always about getting up. I have learned to accept defeat and still not give up.

Szewczenko: I'm incredibly happy. Sometimes I still can't believe our luck. i live again For years everything stagnated and threw me back in my being. Today I celebrate every single day.

Szewczenko: I feel 100 percent there. I dream of showing my children the world and we are trying to implement that bit by bit. I want to give them adventures and experiences.

Szewczenko: Mother has definitely become my signature role. I love to write, maybe one day there will be another book. At the same time, I have other crazy ideas in my head that I would like to let mature first.