Lilly Becker relocates to Germany with her son amid London financial hardship

Lilly Becker has moved to Germany with her 15-year-old son Amadeus, saying the financial pressures of living in London left them struggling to make ends meet. The Dutch model, 49, separated in 2018 from former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker, who was jailed in 2022 for hiding assets worth £2.5 million to avoid paying debts. Becker’s past financial troubles frame the decision she describes as a turning point for her family. "I just can’t really afford to live in London by myself as a single mum," she told the Driven Women podcast, adding that "the opportunities are in Germany" for now. She recalled hitting a low point, saying she had five euros in her bank account last year and that there was a time when both she and her son went hungry in the city she once called home.

"It’s extremely hard and I’ll still like to live on a level that I’m used to, and my son is used to. I want to keep that and, at the moment, the opportunities are in Germany," she said, describing the move as a "new chapter" for herself and Amadeus. "He’s excited," she added, noting that the family has begun the process of settling into a new life abroad. "It’s opening his eyes."

In Germany, Amadeus is expected to start at a new school, and Lilly said they have already visited prospective institutions together. She described the visit as a moment of reassurance for her son and a signal that the move could be good for his education and broader horizons. "We visited the school and he was, like, ‘Okay’. I’m very nervous, but it’s a good, butterfly nervous," she said.

Becker’s financial reversals have long been public. He declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid mounting debts and a reported £50 million liability to creditors, tied to an unpaid loan on a Mallorca estate. The six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed in April 2022 for hiding £2.5 million of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts, serving eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence before being extradited to Germany in time for Christmas 2022.

Lilly’s own ascent in Germany’s entertainment circuits has also shaped the family’s trajectory. Earlier this year she was crowned Queen of the Jungle on the German edition of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, a victory she described as a turning point after the hardships she faced while living in Britain. She recalled the moment of hardship vividly: "I was 48 and had five euros in my account, it was so embarrassing. I will never forget what it was like to be hungry and your kid is also hungry." The experience has been a springboard for her public profile in Germany and its media spotlight.

The Becker family’s personal timeline includes multiple marriages and complex family dynamics. Boris Becker, who married Barbara Feltus in 1993 and later joined with Lilly Becker in 2018 before their divorce, has since remarried Italian model Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro in Italy last year. The wedding drew attention for its attendance and absence patterns: Becker’s two sons with Barbara — Noah and Elias — were present, but Amadeus and Becker’s daughter Anna Ermakova, 24, were notably absent. Lilly has since spoken about the tension surrounding Amadeus’s invitation to the wedding, telling German outlets that her son was surprised and wondered why his father hadn’t told him details about the event.

Despite the strains of Becker’s divorce and legal troubles, Lilly has said she wishes him well while emphasizing her priority is providing stability for Amadeus. "Who doesn’t want him to come?" she remarked about the wedding dynamics, underscoring the delicate balance she aims to strike between parental support and protecting their son from conflict. The couple’s separate paths reflect a broader arc in a family marked by public scrutiny, with Lilly focusing on building a new life for herself and Amadeus in Germany while Boris pursues his own personal and professional reinventions.

As the family navigates the next steps, observers are watching how the move will influence Amadeus’s education, social integration, and the long-term financial and personal dynamics between Lilly and her ex-husband. For now, Lilly’s priority is the stability and opportunities Germany may offer, paired with a clear commitment to ensuring Amadeus remains at the center of the decisions shaping their future.