The presenter gives a candid interview for the first time in a while.
Fred van Leer has sworn off relationships and dating for the time being. He reveals this in the podcast Real Talk by FunX DJ Fernando Halman. It is the first time in years that the presenter and stylist has given an extensive interview about his private life.
Relationships renounced
“I don’t want to think about being with someone anymore,” Fred says. “I’ve sworn that off for now. That’s not for me.”
He continues: “I can dance, but not with two people. I like being alone. That also permeates my work life. Because you know: I can put everything of myself into it without six hundred people having to piss on it.”
Dark period
The past few years have been incredibly difficult for Fred. After a number of intense events, the presenter ended up in a dark period, and that is partly why he has not been heard from in the media. “That depression has become more intense and that is still a battle,” he says candidly. “I am in the middle of that and you will always have to fight with that.”
Through all the bad things, he felt incredibly loved, and that really got him through it. “I got love from so many people. They say ‘social media is fake’, but at that moment it’s really real,” says Fred. “Of course, my friends helped me through that time. But if I hadn’t had such a big safety net, I wouldn’t have been able to come back so quickly.”
First interview
The podcast with Fernando Halman is Fred’s first major interview in three years. Why has he kept quiet for so long? “I just don’t feel like it, because then I read it back and they just have to leave out a word or sometimes change it to a different word, which means the whole context of the story is wrong,” he explains. “I’ve always been very open, also to the press, but people have taken advantage of that. I thought: I’m just not going to say anything anymore. That’s really nice, actually.” Completely understandable!
Source: NU, Real Talk | Image: NL Beeld
