“Her husband has left,” read a cover story in the German magazine leisure weekly on Wednesday. People have long suspected that former German Chancellor Merkl and her husband, Schaul, were having marital problems, because they haven’t been seen in public for a long time. His most recent public appearance, on Shor’s 75th birthday, showed Merkl gazing at an unhappy Shor. She had been looking forward to spending time with him after her term as prime minister, but Mr Schaul threw himself into his work.
“Schaul disappeared” after his birthday appearance, the report said. Now, it turns out, Schaul has a new girlfriend — Laura Gagliardi. A photograph shows Shor with 56-year-old Laura, smiling for the first time in a long time. She is of Italian and American ancestry and, like Shor, is a chemist who has taught at prestigious institutions such as the University of Chicago and is currently editor-in-chief of a chemical academic journal, according to public sources.
Now, according to the leisure weekly article, Merkl is unwilling to accept the “Humiliation” of the past few months and wants to start a new chapter. “Merkl is already seeing someone else, and she can laugh again,” the article says. It was a conference in Berlin, and she felt a sense of relief. The reason may have something to do with 65-year-old actor Ulrich Karol Mets, who was honored at the conference that day. Merkl spoke highly of Ulrich’s tolerance and humanity. After the speech, the two hugged in full view. The report said the pair had been close for years and that Ulrich may have been the reason for Merkl’s glow, that there may have been a spark between them and that for Merkl, who is turning 70, it could also be the beginning of a new phase in her life.
However, neither MERKL nor Shor have commented on the leisure weekly report since it was published. “Leisure weekly” is a German Entertainment Weekly, on the newsstand often available.