Ralf Schumacher , brother to racing legend Michael Schumacher and an ex-Formula One driver himself, took to Instagram in mid-July to indirectly announce that he is in a relationship with a man named Étienne Bousquet-Cassange. Under a photo of the two of them facing a colourful sunset, the six-time Grand Prix winner said, in German, “The best thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.” The photo sparked an outpouring of support for the German ex-driver, with current Formula One racers – including Lewis Hamilton , Alonso Fernando, Oscar Piastri, and Nico Hulkenburg – all offering their congratulations.
Schumacher’s son David also commented, “I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if they are a man or a woman.” {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Ralf Schumacher poses with current partner Étienne Bousquet-Cassange in July.
Photo: @ralfschumacher_rsc/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/6d87c316-7f87-460f-bbe2-3184dd3b6967_7390c88c.
jpg"} Ralf Schumacher poses with current partner Étienne Bousquet-Cassange in July. Photo: @ralfschumacher_rsc/Instagram But as many congratulated Ralf and celebrated his bravery, all eyes also turned to his ex-wife Cora. The multi-hyphenate is a former model who reportedly posed for racy shoots for GQ, Maxim, Playboy and OnlyFans , and an ex-racing driver.
She’s also appeared in numerous German reality TV shows. Most recently, she was on Ich Bin Ein Star or Jungle Camp, a German take on Survivor, though she left after just three days of filming. {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Cora Schumacher in a 2002 promotional image. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/c3965a9c-050f-4e5e-b27e-0b4f263f4044_d7491f3d.jpg"} Cora Schumacher in a 2002 promotional image. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram So what else do we know about Ralf Schumacher’s ex-wife? What was Ralf Schumacher and his ex-wife Cora Schumacher’s relationship like? {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Ralf Schumacher takes a selfie on an empty Eurowings flight in March. Photo: @ralfschumacher_rsc/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/f75983e7-7ae4-4585-9bf2-b96b9ad04c77_7390c88c.jpg"} Ralf Schumacher takes a selfie on an empty Eurowings flight in March. Photo: @ralfschumacher_rsc/Instagram Ralf married Cora-Caroline Brinkmann in 2001.
The couple tied the knot at a church in Maria Plein, near Salzburg, Austria, and were married for 14 years before divorcing in 2015. They have one child together, 22-year-old David Schumacher. The pair appear to remain close today, with Ralf recently congratulating his ex-wife upon the announcement that she would appear on the German version of I’m a Celebrity .
.. Get Me Out of Here! Cora Schumacher was a racer too {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"In 2019, Cora Schumacher posted this throwback image of her in her racing days. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/3bc6ea8b-71ed-48e8-81e0-702e23c78028_d7491f3d.jpg"} In 2019, Cora Schumacher posted this throwback image of her in her racing days. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram Marrying into the Schumacher family meant that Cora also dabbled with motorsport.
She reportedly made her on-track debut in 2004 as part of a celebrity team in Germany’s Mini challenge, went on to compete in various series and championships and in 2006, and earned a spot in the SEAT Leon Supercopa that made her the highest-paid female driver at the time. ..
. and so is her son, David Schumacher {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"David Schumacher celebrates taking first place at a race at Germany’s Nürburgring track.
Photo: @davidschumacher_official/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/ccdd1ad3-343a-4f90-bdb4-5e8055dbd4aa_1a9430de.
jpg"} David Schumacher celebrates taking first place at a race at Germany’s Nürburgring track. Photo: @davidschumacher_official/Instagram David is currently competing in Germany’s ADAC GT Masters with the Haupt Racing Team. He previously competed in the 2023 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters with Mercedes-AMG Team Winward.
According to German publication Bild, Cora has had a fraught relationship with her son since her divorce and the pair haven’t spoken since 2002. She’s appeared on numerous German TV shows {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Cora Schumacher appears on German reality TV show Top Dog Germany in 2022.
Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/ecd619bd-718b-4eab-abfb-d85ca0274837_fc959f2f.
jpg"} Cora Schumacher appears on German reality TV show Top Dog Germany in 2022. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram Cora has made a name for herself on various TV shows, including Germany’s Top of the Pops , Mareinhof and Alarm Fur Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei . In 2020, she looked for love on her TV show, Cora’s House of Love .
Although the show ended with her dating Denny Heidrich, the couple apparently split shortly after. She recently had a reality TV controversy {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Cora Schumacher in a promotional image ahead of her appearance on German reality TV show Ich Bin Ein Star.
Photo: @reality.show_tv/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/4e0db3c3-9b8e-489d-b7f1-5cdd000cf8b7_bfe930dc.jpg"} Cora Schumacher in a promotional image ahead of her appearance on German reality TV show Ich Bin Ein Star. Photo: @reality.
show_tv/Instagram Earlier this year, Cora was on Ich Bin Ein Star , a German reality TV show in the style of Survivor and I’m a Celebrity ...
Get Me Out of Here! But after just three days in the jungle, she left very abruptly. The reason behind it remains unclear, although there has been plenty of media speculation. Cora’s former brother-in-law, Michael, was involved in a nearly fatal skiing accident in 2013.
Since then, his health status has been fiercely guarded by his immediate family, including wife Corinna and children Mick and Gina-Maria. While she wasn’t allowed to see Michael after his accident, Cora reportedly has some knowledge of his condition. Per Marca, it’s believed that the show’s bosses thought she may reveal secrets about Michael’s condition, and that she was pushed out because of this.
It’s been widely reported that there is a “gentleman’s agreement” between the Schumacher family and German media to maintain secrecy over Michael’s health, and that the show’s producers worried that under the pressure of filming, Cora might accidentally break this. However, the exit was framed as Cora opting out of the show because she had a cough and did not feel healthy enough to continue. Per the show, she was sitting at a campfire and said she could not breathe properly because of the smoke, and wanted to go home.
She sparked outrage with her OnlyFans account {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Cora Schumacher in a photo shoot for Germany’s Bild tabloid. Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/16/6967b71d-7afc-4da3-91b5-79af079917b5_323be46c.jpg"} Cora Schumacher in a photo shoot for Germany’s Bild tabloid.
Photo: @coraschumacher/Instagram It has been widely reported that Cora was an adult model in the early 2000s, appearing on the covers of GQ and Maxim. According to Bild, after getting divorced, she also featured in Playboy. She also reportedly joined OnlyFans in 2023.
In an interview with Bild, she said that, at 46, she was comfortable in her own skin, noting, “Why shouldn’t I share a topless photo or two with the public?” She added, “I love my body, and why shouldn’t I share that with others? That shouldn’t really be a problem since Playboy .” She struggled with early menopause The blonde beauty told Bild that she entered menopause early and, as a result, was miserable and “slightly depressed.” She explained that her self-esteem suffered.
The former Cora-Caroline Brinkmann was married to Ralf Schumacher for 14 years before they divorced in 2015; she’s stayed silent as her ex-husband recently came out and announced his new relationship She dabbled in racing while married to Ralf, but these days, she’s a reality TV star and adult model, and has a fraught relationship with her son David, who she hasn’t spoken to since 2022.
