As of: March 16, 2024, 11:39 a.m
By: Diana Serb
Comments
Press
Split
Tony Bauer impresses with his cheerful charisma on “Let's Dance”.
Now he revealed how much his illness actually affects him and why every appearance can become a danger for him.
Cologne - The 17th season of the popular RTL dance show “Let's Dance” has only been running for three weeks, but the comedian Tony Bauer (28), who comes from Dinslaken, has already danced his way into the hearts of the viewers.
Still largely unknown before the show began, he is now a popular talk show guest.
This week he was invited, among other things, to the RTL magazine “Stern TV” and talked about the health risks he faces when he takes the stage every week.
Chronic illness affects “Let’s Dance” participant Tony Bauer
Moderator Steffen Hallaschka (52) first introduced Bauer: "With his dances, this man will make Duisburg-Marxloh the Las Vegas of the Ruhr area" - an allusion to Duisburg's hotspot Marxloh district, where Tony Bauer largely grew up, but also recognition of his promising dancing talent .
As if weeks of physically demanding dance training and rehearsing choreographies weren't hard enough, the 28-year-old has completely different physical concerns: He suffers from short bowel syndrome.
At the age of eight, his small intestine twisted and died, which is why most of it was removed.
As a little boy, he was in an artificial coma for eight months.
Since then, a normal diet has no longer been possible, which is why Bauer has to wear a special backpack that supplies him with infusions for up to 17 hours a day.
“The content is tailored exactly to me, which is why I go to the doctor every three months,” he tells “
Stern TV
”.
He needed permission from his doctor so that he didn't have to wear the backpack on stage in the dance show.
Strength training has helped so that he currently only has to wear it for about twelve hours a day.
Tony Bauer has to ensure a sterile environment for “Let’s Dance”.
He can still eat anything he wants.
His body just can't process the nutrients.
Bauer operates the system himself and sets up the access points on his body.
There is always a risk involved every time you put on or take off your backpack: “I just can’t make a mistake.
Everything has to be germ-free,” says Bauer in the TV show.
Otherwise blood poisoning could occur.
His ordeal also took him to a French hospital in Paris, where he was supposed to have a new small intestine transplanted - without success.
During that time he often felt very alone and lost courage.
Tony Bauer impresses with his cheerful charisma on “Let's Dance”.
Now he revealed how much his illness actually affects him and why every appearance can become a danger for him.
© IMAGO / Future Image & IMAGO / Future Image
His strategy for dealing with his fate for 20 years has been humor.
Even as a child, he made his relatives and hospital employees laugh - a way to gather people around and not be alone.
At some point that led him to the stage as a professional.
After smaller appearances in the comedy format “Night Wash”, he was discovered with his show in front of 13,000 spectators at the 1Live comedy night XXL 2022.
Since then, the newcomer has also been able to appear with well-known comedy colleagues such as Torsten Sträter (57).
Sylvie Meis (45), who also moderated “Let's Dance” after her participation, tells in an interview how her cancer diagnosis still affects her today.
Sources used
:
rtl.de, gala.de, bild.de