I was the very first athlete in East Germany allowed to go professional.

I learned not to depend on other people. I needed support, but it's you who has to go out and deliver.

It's hard work to make a four-minute program look effortless and elegant.

I never had a serious injury that kept me out of a big competition. Now everyone has injuries - to their feet or their knees or their backs.

The desire to really compete again has been there for a long time.

I know this is maybe naive, but one day I hope there will be peace in the world. Maybe one day the flowers will come back.

It's not like I didn't do anything for 10 years and chose a new profession. I've been on the ice a lot. I'm not an outsider.