Overview
- In interviews published June 2–3, Eckes, marking her 50th birthday, publicly explained that a mix of professional overload and private crises prompted her to end a more than 20-year collaboration with RTL.
- She cited three main drivers for the decision: heavy on‑camera pressure, her father's worsening Alzheimer’s disease, and the breakdown of her marriage, and she reported physical stress symptoms such as stomach pains before broadcasts.
- When her contracts expired around 2022, Eckes moved to Mallorca with her two sons, saying the change was healing, and she spent the following years learning Spanish and doing system coaching to focus on family and recovery.
- Eckes described feeling split between a public on‑screen persona and her private life and recalled that earlier TV industry norms imposed stricter rules on appearance and behavior, which added to her strain.
- She does not rule out a return to television but says any comeback must be personally meaningful and content‑driven rather than a routine hosting job, a stance that highlights broader questions about burnout and caregiving pressures in media careers.