Helmut Kohl Opens Up
Helmut Kohl discussed his wife's suicide at length in a television interview, giving a rare glimpse into his private life. The former German leader, who is 71, also said he won't be heavily involved in the upcoming campaign for the conservative Christian Democratic party and that he's writing his memoirs.
"I'm an old-timer. I'm last year's model," he said in an emotional interview with a popular talk show host aired Tuesday night on ZDF national TV.
Kohl revealed that he and his wife, Hannelore, discussed the option of her suicide before she took her life last June in despair at a sunlight allergy that confined her to darkness.
"We talked about it," Kohl said. "I won't say more than that."
He said the couple's sons, Peter and Walter, are writing a biography of their late mother.
Kohl, who dropped from public view after his wife's suicide, relished the chance to talk politics again. But he reaffirmed that he won't run for re-election this year to the parliamentary seat he has held for 26 years.
Kohl was chancellor from 1982 until 1998, reuniting West and East Germany in 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell. After his 1998 election defeat, he and the Christian Democrats became embroiled in a scandal over secret campaign donations.
His name is sure to go down as a major figure in the annals of German politics.
©MMII, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report