Boris Becker’s ex-wife Lilly Becker has revealed telling their 12-year-old son about his father’s prison sentence was ‘the hardest thing I ever had to do’.
Three-time Wimbledon champion Becker was jailed for two-and-a-half years for hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.
The former world number one, 54, was declared bankrupt on June 21 2017, owing creditors almost £50m, over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Speaking on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored on Tuesday night, Lily revealed that she was forced to break the news of Becker’s conviction to their son Amadeus.
‘I had to break it down to him,’ she said. ‘We as a family had purposefully not spoken about the trial or anything.
‘But I had no choice but to break my heart – or actually his heart – last Sunday.
‘I don’t wish this upon anybody. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.’
Lilly also defended her former husband and said she ‘broke down’ at the sentencing.
‘I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because I was convinced, until the judge made her verdict, that he was going to get a little bit lighter than two and a half years,’ she told Piers.
‘I had to keep it together and I don’t know how I did it.’
BBC commentator Becker transferred almost 427,000 euros (around £390,000) from his business account to others, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.
The father-of-four also failed to declare his share in a £1m property in his home town of Leimen, Germany, hid an 825,000 euro (almost £700,000) bank loan – worth £1.1m with interest – and concealed 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000.
Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the six-time Grand Slam singles champion to two-and-a-half years imprisonment, of which he will serve half, at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
‘You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy,’ she told Becker upon sentencing.
‘While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility.’
Becker, wearing a striped tie in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green, showed no emotion before being taken down to the cells.
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