Convicted tennis ace Boris Becker is seen for the first time since being released from prison – and his first appointment was with a hairdresser to dye his silver locks strawberry blonde, MailOnline can reveal.
Footage obtained exclusively reveals how the three-time Wimbledon champion opted for the drastic makeover as he sat down for a controversial £435,000 paid interview with German TV.
The last picture of him before today was taken in April when he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Southwark Crown Court and shown a thicker set, complete with a mass of white hair.
Becker, 55, sat down with German TV presenter Steven Gatjen for the hour-long interview which, as MailOnline revealed earlier this week, will air tonight on Sat1.
Convicted tennis ace Boris Becker is seen for the first time since being released from prison – and his first date was with a hairdresser to dye his silver locks bright blonde
Besides the German TV interview, Becker has also signed a contract with Apple TV+ and several book deals are in the works.
UK broadcasters are also said to be interested in the show’s interview airing in London via Red Arrow Productions with an insider saying: ‘There has been considerable interest and talks are ongoing, but any announcements would come from the channels.’
In the images released before the broadcast, Becker appears slimmer and his hair is longer and he is dressed in a black top.
He tells how he feared he would be sent to a shared cell with ‘rapists and murderers’ after he was initially sent to HMP Wandsworth Category B following his conviction.
He was then transferred to HMP Huntercombe Category C prison in Oxfordshire for the remainder of his time in prison before being released and flown back to Germany on a private jet by the broadcaster.
Since then, he has not been seen in public and he is said to be locked up in a luxury hotel near Munich during the final editing of the documentary.
But there was a bitter backlash against the decision to pay £435,000 for the interview with viewers complaining to the broadcaster and on social media.
Furious Jorg Gaffrey wrote on Sat1’s Twitter profile: “It’s a waste to offer a criminal this step and pay so much money, instead of giving much more sensible money.”
While another stormed off: ‘How can you throw money down a criminal’s throat. It’s a matter of sensationalism, I hope the ratings suck. Pathetic.’
Uwe Thamm said, “You should do interviews with people who have worked hard for 40 years and are now struggling to make ends meet!”
“And not with a pompous asshole named Becker being held responsible for cheating!!!”
Another said: ‘sat1 must be mad to shell out so much money for an ex-con!
‘How many homeless people would be better served with this amount?’
While a hard-hitting editorial from the respected Westfalsiche Rundschau slammed the broadcaster and said: ‘Boris Becker is not a hero but a convicted criminal.
“It’s perverse how a criminal is wooed here in the media in Germany and millions are thrown at him.
“Any honest, law-abiding person would just shake their head.”
A Sat1 spokesperson told MailOnline they would not discuss the fee saying: ‘Trust is a valuable asset in cooperation and that includes Sat1 not quoting contracts.’
While Becker’s attorney, Christian-Oliver Moser, would only cryptically say in an email: “My client is not getting money to talk about his crimes.”
He did not return to Leimen where his elderly mother Elvira, 87, lives and was home alone today after a door-to-door meal delivery man let himself in (pictured in 2019)
Apart from the German TV interview, Becker has also signed a contract with Apple TV+ and several book deals are in the works, as well as a lucrative job with the tennis federation of his home country.
Bankrupt Becker is banned from doing business in Germany until 2031 due to bankruptcy proceedings against him, but he will funnel proceeds from the gold mine through a company set up by his girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Montiero.
The top-flight financial risk analyst was at his side for the trial earlier this year in Southwark and is now believed to be with him in Germany.
She has set up a UK company called BFB Enterprises – Boris Franz Becker – and it will allow him to keep the money he earns, even if creditors in Germany seek to get their hands on it.
Father-of-five Becker was found guilty of hiding £2.5million in assets to avoid paying debts at his trial in Southwark and was released earlier under a special deal of the Ministry of the Interior for foreign prisoners.
He did not return to Leimen where his elderly mother Elvira, 87, lives and was home alone today after a door-to-door meal delivery man let himself in.
A carer who stopped by said: ‘She is fine and just looking forward to being with her son. She doesn’t know where he is, but they talked on the phone.
Becker won her first Wimbledon title in 1985 at the age of 17 and won it twice more as well as the US Open once and the Australian Open twice, earning over 25 million dollars in prizes in 15 years of career.
Before leaving Huntercombe last week, he gave his clothes, including a baseball cap, flip flops, bathrobe and t-shirt, to inmates taking only photos of his family with him.
