"Proposal in a hallway" - How Sonja Zietlow and Jens Oliver Haas master love, work and rare privacy
Sonja Zietlow and Jens Oliver Haas have been married for 23 years, working side by side for nearly as long. Their relationship began with a simple, unplanned proposal in a stairwell after just three months of dating. Now, as the 19th season of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! airs, the couple continues to balance love, work, and a rare peek into their private life.
The pair first met in 2000 and tied the knot a year later. Haas, the show's head writer and voice of camp doctor Dr. Bob, proposed in an unceremonious moment—no grand gestures, just a quiet question in a stairwell. He later admitted the proposal was 'terribly unprepared,' but it suited their otherwise meticulously organised lives.
Despite decades together, they keep separate apartments and coordinate different work shifts to maintain balance. Their professional partnership spans 22 years on I'm a Celebrity, which premiered in 2004 and has since become a staple of German reality TV. The 19th season, co-hosted by Zietlow and Jan Köppen, began on January 23, with eliminations already underway—Nicole Belstler-Boettcher and Umut Tekin have left the jungle, and the next vote-off airs Sunday at 8:15 PM on RTL.
Fans recently got a glimpse into their private world when Zietlow shared an Instagram photo of the couple with their dogs. Such moments are rare, as the two prefer keeping their personal lives out of the spotlight.
The couple's enduring partnership—both on-screen and off—remains a quiet constant in German entertainment. With the show's latest season unfolding, Zietlow and Haas continue their unique blend of professional collaboration and private independence. Their story, rooted in spontaneity and pragmatism, stands apart from the drama of the jungle camp.
