Ralf Schumacher’s Playboy mannequin ex-wife burns wedding ceremony costume over F1 star’s ‘stab in coronary heart’
Cora Schumacher, who was married to Ralf Schumacher for 14 years, has burned her wedding dress following a bitter war of words after the F1 legend came out as gay last year
Cora Schumacher displayed the charred remains of her wedding dress as her war of words with ex-husband and F1 legend Ralf Schumacher continued.
Ralf, 49, the younger brother of F1 icon Michael Schumacher, came out as gay on Instagram in July with an emotional post, stating: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.”
Now cosied up with French partner Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne, the former Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver’s revelation allegedly blindsided Cora, who wed him in 2001, only for their relationship to end in divorce after 14 years in 2015.
Former model Cora, 47, who has appeared on the cover of Playboy, GQ and Maxim, suggested she had no knowledge of Ralf’s sexuality until the announcement, had “wasted” her marriage and felt “stabbed in the heart”.
And now she has laid bare her anger on German TV show ‘Uber Geld spricht man doch!’, according to Bild, revealing she burned her designer wedding dress and saying: “This is the rest of my wedding dress from Escada. I don’t even know why it’s still here.”
This public display of outrage is just the latest in a string of bitter exchanges between the exes, parents to a shared child. Cora expressed feelings of betrayal and time lost, revealing she sought therapy after their split.
Shedding light on her turmoil last year, the German TV presenter commented: “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 hit back – sharing messages from Cora from before the announcement, which appeared to show she did in fact already know about his relationship and sexuality.
The chat, which appears to date back to last year, seemingly shows Cora congratulating Etienne about his new relationship with Ralf, saying “[I am] so happy for you both” and that she was “told they were married”.
Ralf posted the WhatsApp chat on his Instagram, alongside the caption: “With all the back and forth, I would like to make it clear that Cora congratulated us in September 2023 because she thought we had gotten married. I think it’s a shame for Etienne and me that she spreads so many lies. We both just want to be left in peace.”
That sparked a furious reaction from Cora, who branded the German sportsman’s move “pathetic”. In a social media post of her own, Cora fumed: “How pathetic does a person have to be to publish private WhatsApp messages to conceal the truth?”
She went on to claim that the six-time Grand Prix winner introduced Etienne only as a business associate – and not as his boyfriend. Cora added: “The WhatsApp was my last attempt to at least find out the truth from him.”
Meanwhile, their son David has shown support for his dad, urging Cora to “leave us alone”, and alleging she has “mental problems”.
