# Designer Guido Maria Kretschmer Battled Life-Threatening Sepsis After Rose Prick
A seemingly minor injury-a prick from a rose-led to a harrowing battle wiht sepsis for German fashion designer Guido Maria Kretschmer, 60. The designer revealed the frightening incident during an appearance on the program “DAS! Rote Sofa” on Friday, detailing how a vacation mishap nearly turned fatal.
Kretschmer, known for his work on the show “Shopping Queen,” had been quietly grappling with the health scare since the summer. He had begun publishing weekly episodes of his podcast,”Feinstoff,” in late september,but deliberately omitted this deeply personal story until now. Presenter Bettina Tietjen, 65, initially prompted a discussion about the designer’s noticeable weight loss, observing changes on his Instagram account.
“I noticed this on Instagram. You’ve got a very narrow face and are substantially slimmer overall. How much weight have you lost?” Tietjen inquired.Kretschmer initially deflected, referencing a family saying. “His father always said, ‘We Silesians are made for fattening or breeding and little Guido could do both,'” he recounted. Though,he soon disclosed the truth: an unexpected illness had caused him to lose weight. And it was a matter of life and death.
“I pricked myself on a rose on Sylt,” Kretschmer explained, describing the incident as an “inconvenience” at the start of his vacation. But the situation quickly escalated. He soon found himself in the North Sea Clinic, where doctors diagnosed him with sepsis, a potentially fatal condition caused by the body’s overwhelming response to an infection.
“That’s life-threatening,” tietjen stated, echoing the gravity of the diagnosis. Kretschmer confirmed that hospital staff had explicitly told him so. He described a challenging hospital stay, including being placed in a plaster cast during his treatment. “They were really hard days,” he said. Even the prospect of food became a preoccupation. “I thought to die here, then I’ll have food,” he confessed, admitting his surprise at the stark contrast between his expectations of gourmet hospital meals and the reality of a “plastic tray with the smeared cheese on it.”
The experience prompted a significant lifestyle change. Observing a nurse who was “well fed” and struggling to move, Kretschmer made a firm decision. “Now I’ll let the others chew for a while,” he declared, and subsequently began skipping dinner. This change resulted in an impressive weight loss of eight kilos. However, he indicated he is now content with his current weight.
The full interview is available to view in the ARD media library.
