Collien Fernandes (44) made a clear statement on what used to be her wedding anniversary. On Monday evening, the actress shared a post that shows how much her attitude toward this date has changed. In an interview with Brigitte, she also finds clear words: She cannot forgive her ex-husband Christian Ulmen (50). Additionally, she finds it difficult to remember the beautiful moments of the failed marriage.
From Happy Wedding Day to Happy Day
'Today was my wedding day. Not anymore as of this year,' the Traumschiff star wrote in her Instagram post. Fernandes published a graphic that resembles a wedding invitation: an envelope with the inscription 'Happy Wedding Day,' with the English word for wedding crossed out. Inside, a card can be seen showing a heart framing a photo of the actress.
Fernandes received numerous approving comments for the post. Fellow actress Gesine Cukrowski (57) also reacted and wrote: 'Phew!' - accompanied by three red hearts.
'When I see a picture of him today, I have to cover his eyes'
One day later, an interview with Brigitte was also published, in which Collien Fernandes talks about her current emotional state three months after her allegations against her ex-husband became public - and makes demands on society and politics. She is 'sometimes reasonably okay, sometimes I'm desperate and angry and sometimes just speechless,' says the actress and host. This has a lot to do with 'how the other side behaves in this case. That's basically how it's been since my story was published in Spiegel.'
One month after the divorce in February, Fernandes had made serious allegations against Christian Ulmen public in the magazine. She accuses her ex-partner of creating fake profiles on the internet and distributing adult content that was intended to give the impression that it was the 44-year-old. The presumption of innocence applies to Ulmen.
Fernandes now emphasizes that she cannot forgive her ex-husband. 'No. Not anymore. It was known that I was receiving death threats. Nevertheless, he continued to pour oil on the fire.' The hatred against her increased after that, 'the death threats as well.' Today, when she sees a picture of him, she has to 'cover his eyes.' Nevertheless, she 'still' stands by the shared custody model for their daughter, 'because I think it's important that both parents are there for the child.'
The question of whether she can retain good moments from the marriage in her memory also occupies Fernandes. 'That's an issue I'm really struggling with right now. I heard that Gisèle Pelicot consciously decided to allow herself to have beautiful memories of her relationship as well. I think that's incredibly strong of her.' However, for herself, the memories 'are currently often mixed with what I found out afterward. You think of a beautiful day and later you find out what he did on the evening of that beautiful day. I just can't find the day beautiful anymore afterward.'
Support during this difficult time comes mainly from her family and from the messages sent to her by women from all over Germany. 'They share their experiences of violence with me, their despair, their anger.' This solidarity and anger is politically important so that something changes. For her commitment against deepfake adult content and acts of violence, Fernandes will receive a special award at the Brigitte Award on October 8.
They were long considered a dream couple
Collien Fernandes and comedian Christian Ulmen were long considered one of Germany's celebrity dream couples. They made their relationship public in 2010, and just a few weeks later got engaged in Mauritius. On June 22, 2011, they married in a private ceremony that was only publicly confirmed a few days later. Fernandes subsequently took the name Ulmen-Fernandes. In April 2012, their daughter was born. The separation, which was announced in early September 2025, came as a surprise to many. At that time, they had already been 'separated for some time,' it was said.
