The death of Sonja Barend (86) causes intense emotions in Hilversum. Many memories are made of the queen of the talk show. “She hated the tabloids.”
The deceased Sonja Barend will be said goodbye in a private circle. So she does not opt for a grand farewell and that also fits with how the presenter, beloved by many, has acted in recent years. We only saw her once a year on television when the Sonja Barend Award named after her was presented.
Bitch
Private boss Evert Santegoeds has special memories of Sonja. “People used to think that she could be a bitch, but in person… I was also a guest in the program once and I remember that halfway through the conversation I thought: ohh, I’m just sitting next to Sonja Barend! Yes, that was something,” he says in Show news.
The presenter had absolutely nothing to do with types like him. “The relationship with the magazines and Sonja was a very difficult one. She wanted nothing to do with it. At a certain point I was welcome there.”
Gently no
A colleague of Evert was in contact with Sonja last year. “I remember that a colleague of mine last year… Then we also had pictures of her going shopping and it was like: what would Sonja Barend be like? I said: ‘Well, ask her.’ He sent an email and got a very nice response.”
What kind of answer? “Then she said: ‘It’s never fun to say no, that’s why I do it very softly. Greetings from Sonja.’ That was it.”
Royal
Sonja was commemorated yesterday in an extra broadcast of Pauw & De Wit, presented by Tim de Wit and Roos Moggré. Where was Jeroen? In Spain. “She has something, yes, how do you say beautiful… Something beautiful, something royal,” he says from his holiday address in an interview with RTL Boulevard.
“She stands for something. She stands for an era. She also stands for commitment and at the same time the cheerful smile. You now realize that that is no longer the case. There will be no Sonja Barend anymore.”
