Boris Becker: Made to Be The Bad Guy

has claimed he was made to be 'the bad guy' after cheating on his pregnant wife Barbara while she was in hospital.

The former tennis player cheated on Barbara with Russian model Angela Ermakova in the broom cupboard at London's Nobu restaurant in June 1999. He committed the infidelity, which saw him father a child with Angela, while Barbara was being treated in hospital ahead of giving birth to their son Elias. 

Boris, 58, and Barbara, 59, separated following the affair and their divorce was finalised in 2001 after agreeing a £10million settlement.

But Boris has now come out swinging in his own defence, claiming his ex-wife 'had the power because I was the bad guy' and that she 'got a nice cheque' out of his betrayal.

In an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast on Tuesday, when quizzed on the 'brutal' infidelity, Boris said: 'Without getting into too much into detail, but, you know, she had the power because I was the bad guy. 

'She got a nice cheque out of it. She got a nice monthly support out of it. And she realised that nobody's perfect.'

However Boris insisted the pair are now amicable, adding: 'I like to call myself a good father. I really looked after my two oldest, even though they weren't living in Europe at the time, and they moved to Miami. 

'So 25 years later, we really consider each other a close knit family, you know, regardless of what happened.'

A year after his divorce from Barbara, Becker was convicted for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany. 

Seven years later, he announced he was engaged to Dutch model Sharlely 'Lilly' Kerssenberg. She gave birth in 2010 to a son, Amadeus. 

Elsewhere in the podcast, Boris spoke about both Barbara and Lilly, claiming he believes they only married him for his love and fame - and insisting his current wife Lillian is the only one to have really loved him.

He said: 'Were they in love with the superstar? The famous guy, the rich guy or were they in love with the boy from Lyman, from a small town. 

'Now, one thing I'm sure, is that when I met Lillian, I wasn't rich anymore. I was physically impaired. I may have had a famous name even then, but she didn't care much about tennis. She actually didn't know me on my first night, so I can hand on the Bible, I can say she didn't fall in love because of the wealth. I didn't have any, or because of the fame, I didn't really have any. Physically, I’m not in better shape now than I was at 25. 

'So the contrast of my three wives is the first two married, the famous rich guy, and the last one didn't.'  

It comes after Boris introduced his baby daughter Zoe to the tennis court over the weekend as wife Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro played her first game since giving birth. 

Boris shared a series of sweet photos with his glamorous wife, 34, and their little baby girl, who they welcomed in November.

Boris, who was dressed in a grey tracksuit, was all smiles as he wrapped an arm around Lilian as they posed on the tennis court with their bundle of joy. 

Lilian looked incredible in a lilac tennis outfit while baby Zoe was seen holding a tiny tennis racket.

He wrote: 'Taking my girls to the Club for some Tennis, first time mama is back on court!'

Announcing their daughter's arrival on Instagram in December, they wrote: 'Welcome to the world… Zoë Vittoria Becker 21.11.2025.'

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