Triumph Over Tragedy: Lucie Šlégrová’s Inspirational Journey
“I already entered the competition in 2004 and a few days before the final I withdrew from it. That time my partner was shot,” Šlégrová said.
The weight of that statement hung heavy in the air, revealing a heart-wrenching personal tragedy that had long been shrouded in silence. Former Miss Czech Republic Lucie Šlégrová, speaking candidly in a podcast interview, finally shared the devastating story that almost derailed her dreams.
A Life Shattered in an Instant
“I wasn’t thinking about anything and I was dealing with my pain and suffering, so the Miss fell for me at that moment and it was about three days before the finals,” she recalled, the words tinged with grief. “I found out when I was staying with a friend in Prague, because we had a meeting there early in the morning, and he didn’t call me that evening. I called him, called him, I had a very bad feeling about it. So I called my cousin to go check on him. No one found him, so I called his dad,” she described the fateful moments.
“My father reassured me that nothing was wrong, and then early in the morning he called me that he had found him shot. We were engaged, we lived together for three years, no one expected this situation, it never occurred to you,” sighed the former beauty queen. Her fiancé Václav was murdered by his ex-wife, who tragically turned the gun on herself. In the interview, Šlégrová also vehemently denied the speculation that she was the one who caused the breakup of the marriage. The reason, she explained, was different ideas about the future. Lucia’s partner was a family man who longed for children, while his ex-wife never desired them.
“He was shot by his ex-wife. It was strange. According to the detectives, she had been preparing for it for quite a long time, but it’s a shame that some things didn’t reach us at the time. She prepared for it thoroughly, because she poisoned the pets, cleaned the apartment, wrote a farewell letter,” Šlégrová recounted the horrifying details of the twenty-year-old tragedy.
She also described that she herself was originally supposed to be the victim of the heinous act. “She even wrote in that letter that she originally wanted to shoot me, but that she changed her mind afterwards, that she would punish me the most by being publicly disgraced and losing my partner,” Šlégrová said, adding that after this incident she felt like her world crumbled. She locked herself in the apartment and for several months was unable to do anything, not even brush her teeth. She was helped out of the deepest despair by her cousin, with whom she was always very close and who even stopped school for a while to be with her.
Rising From the Ashes
Finally finding the strength to stand up again, Šlégrová moved from her native Teplice to Prague and, with unwavering determination, returned to the Miss competition. This time, she triumphed, crowned Miss Czech Republic in 2005. But her story, unfortunately, did not end there.
According to Šlégrová, her ex-husband, with whom she has two children, had already spotted her at that time. However, the marriage with businessman Zdenek Kaufmann was not a happy one. He turned out to be manipulative, and Lucie eventually ran away from the toxic relationship. Today, she is married for the second time, this time to hockey player Jiří Šlégr.
“Once I married out of reason and once out of love, and it’s a huge difference,” she says with a newfound joy.
What did Lucie Šlégrová experience that led her to withdraw from the Miss Czech Republic competition in 2004?
## Triumph Over Tragedy: A Conversation with Lucie Šlégrová
**Host:** Welcome back to the show, today we are joined by former Miss Czech Republic Lucie Šlégrová. Lucie, your recent podcast interview was incredibly moving and courageous. You spoke so openly about a personal tragedy you experienced, one that many people didn’t know about.
**Lucie Šlégrová:** Thank you for having me. It felt like the right time to share my story. It’s been many years, and I realized holding onto this pain alone was not healthy.
**Host:** In the interview, you described how just days before the finals of the Miss Czech Republic competition in 2004, your fiancé Václav was tragically murdered.
**Lucie Šlégrová:** Yes, it was a devastating time. We were so happy, engaged, ready to start our lives together. It happened so suddenly, and the circumstances were incredibly difficult to process.
**Host:** You mentioned that Václav was killed by his ex-wife, who then took her own life. What was it like navigating such a complex and shocking loss?
**Lucie Šlégrová:** It was incredibly painful. I felt lost and confused. There was so much grief, anger, and even guilt. People speculate about the breakup, but Václav and his ex-wife had different ideas about the future. He longed for children, while she didn’t.
**Host:** How did you find the strength to move forward after such a heartbreaking experience?
**Lucie Šlégrová:** It wasn’t easy. I had incredible support from my family and friends. Taking time to grieve, seeking professional help, and remembering Václav’s kind and loving nature helped me slowly rebuild my life.
**Host:** Sharing your story publicly must have been difficult. What do you hope people take away from your experience?
**Lucie Šlégrová:** I want people to know that even in the darkest of times, there is hope. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s important to allow yourself to grieve. Life can throw you curveballs, but you can find strength and resilience within yourself to move forward.
**Host:** Thank you, Lucie, for sharing your story with us. Your courage is truly inspiring.
**Lucie Šlégrová:** Thank you.
