Cora Schumacher has revealed the burnt tatters of her wedding dress as the bitter war of words with her ex-husband escalates.
Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of F1 legend Michael, came out as gay in a public Instagram post in July last year. It read: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.”
He is now in a relationship with Frenchman Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne. Cora, who married Ralf in a lavish ceremony in 2001, was left furious having claimed she was blind-sided by the announcement.
The pair were married for 14 years until their divorce in 2015. And Cora has now revealed that she burned the dress she wore the day she married the German.
Speaking on German TV show ‘Uber Geld spricht man doch!’ via Bild, she showed the charred remains and said: “This is the rest of my wedding dress from Escada. I don’t even know why it’s still here.”
Her gesture is just the latest chapter in what has descended into a bitter feud between the former partners, who share a child. She claimed she felt “wasted years” of her life, while she also went through therapy.
Speaking last year, she said: “I wish Ralf had included me or at least let me be part of his decision. It would have been a sign of respect. During his career in F1, there were many rumours in the paddock.
“I asked him to clarify if what was being said was true, but he always denied it, telling me that I was imagining everything and that maybe I needed psychological help.When he announced it, it was like a stab in the heart.
“Coming out always affects those around you, including the ex-wife with whom you had a child. Today I feel used during the marriage. I feel like I’ve wasted my best years.
“I ask myself many questions. Was he honest with me? And there’s something even more important that’s on my mind: did he love me? I trusted him blindly and that’s why his word was law for me.”
Ralf then shared messages from Cora from before the announcement congratulating him on his new relationship. Meanwhile, the pair’s son David has offered his support to his dad, imploring Cora to ‘leave us alone’, and claiming she has ‘mental problems’.
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