A woman dubbed ‘The world’s hottest firefighter’ has revealed that she suffered brain damage as a child – and years of bullying as a result.
Anike Ekina, said she was born with severe oxygen deficiency that caused learning difficulties in later life.
She stated: “No I’m not stupid, just different.”
Anike, 36, told Jam Press: “Most often, I stumble over my impairment when speaking.
“Then I can’t think of the right words and I try to paraphrase them with gestures and then repeat the last spoken word until I think of what I’m looking for.
“In my professional and private environment, this often causes a lot of laughter.
“This openness and honesty does me an enormous amount of good.”
Anike, who has 1.7 million Instagram followers, said: “I hid for a long time.
“I was always quiet and was bullied as a child and still today – for something I can’t help.
“I want to be open about it – and about what hurts me and what makes me strong.”
Anike said: “I suffered with delayed language development, which is still going on.
“It is difficult for me to understand complex concepts straight away, and sometimes it is still difficult to express myself clearly in order to be understood by others.
“The most difficult thing about my situation is that I often don’t even realise that I am different.”
Anike, who comes from Hamburg, Germany, added: “If someone points it out or even calls me stupid, I often keep quiet to avoid a confrontation.”
She added: “I used to suffer a lot at school, I was bullied.”
Anike said she would dearly love to have a driver’s license, but is fearful of taking the test due to her learning disabilities.
Despite being diagnosed with asphyxia – a condition caused by the body being deprived of oxygen that often leads to childhood brain damage – she said learning the saxophone has helped her.
Anike explained: “It’s amazing what music has given me in the last six years.
“It was the best therapy for me.”
She also credits her work at the Schwarzenbek Volunteer Fire Department for helping her to overcome her difficulties.
Anike, who sports a trendy cropped hairdo, said: “Of course, I will always remain loyal to the fire brigade.”
She also credits eroticism for helping with her childhood difficulties.
Anike recently won an award for ‘Best Erotic Live Saxophone Performance’ at the Venus Award – Germany’s number one erotic fair.
The firefighting influencer, who has a popular OnlyFans channel, said: “People at trade fairs showed me that I was something special.
“Autograph sessions, fan mail and kind words gave me strength and made me feel valuable.”
Anike, who is married with two children aged 18 and 14 years, said her family also gives her a lot of support and confidence to be herself.
She told Jam Press: “I am incredibly lucky to have the most amazing family in the world.
“They always have my back and support me even during my emotional crises.”
