“They are really stupid”: How Naddel overtaxed even German TV celebrities

Zwegat and Naddel in “Get out of debt”

Screenshot RTL

She was one of the best-known contestants on the RTL debt counseling show – but despite all her efforts, Naddel never managed to turn things around. Even TV personality Peter Zwegat despaired of her.

Peter Zwegat was known to the German nation as a debt advisor – and Nadja Abd el Farrag was one of his most prominent, but also most desperate cases. Now both are dead – and their encounter will be remembered as a TV document of a failed rescue.

Zwegat, who died in 2024 at the age of 74, had made a name for himself over the years as a calm, analytical helper on the RTL show “Raus aus den Schulden” (Get out of debt). His methods were structured, his words often harsh but honest. With Naddel, however, even he reached his limits.

In 2016, RTL accompanied the singer and ex-partner of Dieter Bohlen in a special edition of the show. At the time, Abd el Farrag was living in a hotel room with huge debts – with a dog and no prospects. Zwegat was shocked: “She was like a homeless person – only with a slightly better roof over her head.”

“They are really stupid”

The two met again in front of the camera in 2018. Zwegat again tried to bring structure to the TV personality’s life. But his efforts failed: Naddel didn’t show up for appointments, evaded follow-up questions, didn’t keep promises. In the end, even Zwegat lost patience. His last words in the format are still remembered: “Do you know what people like you are called? You’re really stupid!”

Nevertheless, he tried to help. He organized job interviews in a care home, helped them find an apartment, brought in a psychologist – who made a shocking diagnosis. Alcohol problems, insecurity and a lack of stability shaped Naddel’s life. She herself spoke of her desire to be needed again. “I wish I had a job like I did back then in the old people’s home – that fulfilled me.”

But it remained a wish. Naddel died of organ failure in a Hamburg clinic on May 9, 2025 at the age of 60. Shortly before that, she had made the reality of her life public: a pension of 200 euros, hardly any income, no security.