Polish-born model, GNTM finalist, entrepreneur. Kasia Lenhardt died in Berlin on February 9, 2021. This is the complete account.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Katarzyna “Kasia” Lenhardt |
| Born | April 27, 1995, Leszno, Poland |
| Died | February 9, 2021, Charlottenburg, Berlin |
| Age at Death | 25 |
| Known For | GNTM Season 7 (2012), model, entrepreneur |
| Son | Noah (born February 9, 2015) |
| Former Partner | Jérôme Boateng |
Kasia Lenhardt was a Polish-born model who built her career in Berlin after finishing fourth on Germany’s Next Top Model in 2012. She died on February 9, 2021, at 25, days after her former partner, Bayern Munich defender Jérôme Boateng, publicly accused her in a national newspaper interview of blackmail, fabricating domestic abuse claims, and alcohol dependency. German prosecutors opened a criminal investigation, Der Spiegel dedicated a five-episode podcast to the case, and in November 2025, ARD aired a documentary in which Boateng spoke about her publicly for the first time.
She was found lifeless in a Charlottenburg apartment at around 8:30 PM that Tuesday. A family member, unable to reach her by phone, had called the police. Berlin police confirmed to BILD: “There are no indications of third-party negligence.”
It was her son Noah’s sixth birthday.
Table of Contents
Who Was Kasia Lenhardt?
Katarzyna Lenhardt was born on April 27, 1995, in Leszno, a city in western Poland. She came to Germany at around age five with her mother, Adrianna, and grew up in Berlin as the eldest of several siblings. Her father worked in business.
Her introduction to the industry came by chance. A family friend, Bogdan Marciniak, photographed her as a child, was struck by what he saw, and gave her a first step into modeling. She was working professionally at 12.
From GNTM to Her Own Label
In 2012, at 16, Kasia entered Season 7 of Germany’s Next Top Model (GNTM), the Heidi Klum-fronted competition series. She reached the finale on June 7, 2012, placing fourth behind winner Luisa Hartema, alongside Sarah-Anessa Hitzschke and Dominique Miller.
After the show, she signed with agency ONEeins fab. She walked for Vivienne Westwood, Hunkemöller, and Philipp Plein, ran campaigns for Guess and Calzedonia, and appeared in Grazia, InStyle, and Playboy. In 2014, she filmed four episodes of Hell’s Kitchen on Sat.1. Two years later, she appeared in three episodes of RTL II’s Models im Babyglück.
Later represented by talent agency Fab4Media, she launched a clothing line called Kasia and a cosmetics brand, Lenhardt Beauty, and grew her Instagram following past 200,000.
In February 2015, her son Noah was born. She was 19. His father has never been publicly identified. That same year, she enrolled in a Business Administration degree in Berlin.
The Relationship With Jérôme Boateng
In October 2019, Kasia met Jérôme Boateng at Oktoberfest in Munich. Boateng was a Bayern Munich defender, a 2014 World Cup winner with Germany, and at the time in a relationship with Rebecca Silvera. He later admitted he ended that relationship to be with Kasia.
They were together for roughly 15 months. She had his name tattooed on her ribcage.
On January 5, 2021, Kasia crashed Boateng’s Mini Cooper in Berlin. Alcohol was found in her blood.
The BILD Interview, February 2021
On February 2, 2021, Boateng announced the split on Instagram, saying he was taking responsibility and apologising to “everyone I’ve hurt, especially my ex-girlfriend and our children.”
Days later, he gave an interview to German newspaper BILD. His claims against her:
- Kasia had blackmailed him into staying in the relationship
- She threatened to destroy his career using fabricated domestic abuse allegations
- She had a “massive” alcohol problem
- She had sabotaged his relationship with Rebecca Silvera
In Boateng’s own words, as published in BILD: “Kasia became my girlfriend by destroying the relationship with my ex-girlfriend Rebecca and my family and blackmailed me. So I decided to stay with Kasia and try to make it work.”
Kasia responded on Instagram: “Please give me time. I will fight back because I’ve never been so deceived, used and lied to. Give me a moment.” She said she had ended the relationship herself because of “lies and constant infidelity” and called Boateng “the devil.”
Her final post, dated February 3, was a black-and-white portrait of herself. The caption: “Now is where you draw the line. Enough.”
February 9, 2021
Six days after that post, police arrived at the Charlottenburg apartment. The operation had been called on suspicion of suicide. Officers found no evidence of third-party involvement.
The date was Noah’s sixth birthday.
Boateng was in Qatar with Bayern Munich for the FIFA Club World Cup final against Tigres. He left the squad. Head coach Hansi Flick told journalists: “Jerome came to my room and asked if he could go home. He will not be available to us until further notice.”
Kasia’s parents released a statement: “It is with great dismay and sadness that we must confirm the unexpected death of our daughter Kasia on February 9, 2021. We thank you for the overwhelming sympathy, but at the same time ask you to refrain from expressions of grief so that we can find ourselves in these difficult hours.”
Sara Kulka, a fellow model and GNTM Season 7 contestant, confirmed the death on Instagram: “Rest in peace. You wonderful person, I miss you and would have loved to say goodbye. I hope you find your peace now and I hope the truth comes out now. I know how much you wished it would.”
Boateng’s own mother sent a document to a Berlin lawyer, later reported by Der Spiegel: “For years, my son has been abusing women psychologically and physically. Now Kasia Lenhardt has taken her own life and he still does not want to bear the consequences of his behaviour.”
The Spiegel Podcast: “NDA: Die Akte Kasia Lenhardt”
In March 2024, three years after her death, Der Spiegel launched “NDA: Die Akte Kasia Lenhardt,” a five-episode investigative podcast series produced by reporters Nora Gantenbrink and Maike Backhaus. It was the first installment of Spiegel’s “NDA” series, focused on stories that were never meant to become public. The podcast was built on Kasia’s own audio messages, clinical records, and case files.
Episode one examined what the reporters say happened at Oktoberfest in Munich in 2019, the same period the relationship began. Audio messages Kasia had sent from that October documented alleged physical violence, with injuries described as broken thumbs and hematomas. The reporting also indicated she had been preparing to file a formal assault complaint against Boateng before her death.
The NDA Boateng had presented to her required complete silence on anything connected to him. No obligations were placed on him in return. Der Spiegel confirmed it holds the document.
Boateng’s legal team declined to participate and called the podcast’s reporting “partisan and selective.” His lawyers stated he “never physically attacked” Kasia at any time.
The series generated a wide public debate in Germany about domestic violence, coercive control, and the use of legal silence agreements in relationships.
The Two Legal Cases
Related to Kasia: A criminal investigation into Boateng had been open since 2019, while the two were still together. Prosecutors reopened it after her death. In March 2025, Der Spiegel confirmed the case was formally dropped. Kasia Lenhardt could no longer testify as a witness.
The Sherin Senler case (mother of Boateng’s twin daughters, Soley and Lamia):
| Stage | Year | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Munich District Court | 2021 | Convicted; fined €1.8 million (court maximum) |
| First appeal | November 2022 | Fine reduced to €1.2 million; conviction upheld |
| Bavarian Supreme Court | September 2023 | Conviction overturned on procedural grounds; retrial ordered |
| Retrial | 2024 | Warning only, conditional €200,000 fine |
Boateng’s Retirement and the ARD Documentary
After leaving Bayern Munich in 2021, Boateng played for Olympique Lyon, then Salernitana in Italy, then LASK in the Austrian Bundesliga. He parted ways with LASK on August 19, 2025 and formally retired from professional football on September 19, 2025.
Two months later, ARD aired a three-part documentary, “Being Jerome Boateng.” The first two episodes covered his football career. The third addressed his relationships, legal cases, and Kasia’s death. It was the first time he had spoken about her on the record.
He described the BILD interview as a “mistake.” He said Kasia “was a wonderful person and played a big role in my life” and added: “I have lost a person I loved very much. I’ve been publicly denied the right to grieve.”
The assault case was formally closed in March 2025. Prosecutors dropped it because she could no longer testify. The NDA requiring her silence is in Der Spiegel’s possession. Boateng retired from football that September. He gave one interview about her death and has said nothing on the subject since.
Noah turned 11 in February. His birthday is February 9.
Support is available. In the UK, contact Samaritans free at 116 123, any time. In Germany, Telefonseelsorge is available at 0800 111 0 111.
