TV presenter
Esther Sedlaczek comments on criticism
Updated 10/18/2025 – 7:24 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Esther Sedlaczek is one of the most famous TV faces in German sports journalism. In an interview she talks about how she deals with criticism.
After her short maternity break, Esther Sedlaczek is back on TV screens. On Saturday evening, the 39-year-old will host the ARD sports show again. According to her own statement, the moderator is not at all interested in criticism of the short break. “I can only advise every woman, every young mother: Do what is good for you! Not what is expected from the outside,” Sedlaczek told “Teleschau”.
Whether staying at home late or going back to work early, “both are okay if it feels right,” Sedlaczek continued. “As mothers, we should support each other, not judge each other. What’s important is that the family is doing well – not what outsiders who don’t know our lives think.”
As a woman in the still male-dominated world of sports journalism, Sedlaczek also felt like she had to prove herself more. “I felt that way too,” she said. “For a long time I wanted to live up to everyone’s expectations until I thought to myself: why? I’m doing my job, with everything that comes with it, even with mistakes.”
For a long time she wanted to prove her skills to her interview partners with special questions. “Until I realized: I’ve got it one way or another! So I prefer to live in the moment, listen and be present. Don’t constantly question what others think of me. Since I let that go, I’ve been much more confident. I advise that to every woman,” she explained.
She decided that she wanted to enjoy her job. “And that’s not possible if I constantly think about what others think. I can’t turn off the external pressure, but I can choose how to deal with it,” says Sedlaczek.
Criticism that does not revolve around her journalistic achievements but is directed against her as a woman also bounces off her. “I’m not even listening,” said Sedlaczek. “To be honest, I’m not interested in this discussion about women or men – I’m just doing my job. Criticism is important, but not all of it. If someone says: ‘I don’t like your outfit’, it doesn’t matter to me. I want to feel good and set an example: do what makes you feel good. Whether it’s make-up or clothes – be yourself.”
In principle, however, she was open to criticism: “When criticism comes, I free myself from it – unless it is based on the content. Then I listen, because after all, I’m doing my job for the viewers.” But Sedlaczek narrowed things down: “But that doesn’t mean that everyone can tell me how to do my job. The important thing is to stay open. Being reflective helps me move forward.”