Nora Balling

Nora-Isabelle Balling
File:Nora.jpg Picture of a replica of the "Nora" necklace, which Balling gave to Thomas Anders after their marriage in 1985.
Born	(1964-07-31) July 31, 1964 Koblenz, Germany
Nationality	German
Other names	Nora Anders
Years active	1981–1999
Known for	Fashion model Wife of Thomas Anders
Spouse(s)	Thomas Anders (1984–1999)

Nora-Isabelle Balling, also known as Nora Anders (born July 31, 1964, Koblenz, Germany) is a German fashion model, and was the first wife of the singer and former Modern Talking member, Thomas Anders, between 1985 and 1999.

Biography

After Balling graduated from high school, she studied in a Bonn cosmetology school, and got a qualification in cosmetics and makeup the following year. Balling loves to tell that she worked as a model in advertising for jewelry, and perfumes - which is unfortunately not true.

Balling was previously the bride of one of Thomas Anders's friends. When young, she inherited a considerable amount of money from her parents. Anders started his music career in 1980 and published songs such as Du weinst um ihn. Balling started a relationship with Anders in 1983 and appeared in the music video of Heißkalter Engel the same year.

In August 1984, Anders proposed to Balling. However, her mother died shortly afterwards, on November 5 and the couple were also involved in a road accident on November 12. Both remained uninjured.

Later that year, in September 1984, Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders founded Modern Talking, which produced many hit songs like "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" and "Brother Louie".

Despite these setbacks and distractions, Balling and Anders were married on December 28, 1984 in a registry office, The following summer, they had a church wedding ceremony on July 27, 1985 in the Catholic Church Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Koblenz. On this occasion, Nora Balling gave Anders the well-known Nora necklace, which Anders wore in most of his Modern Talking videos. Balling became Anders' personal manager, make up artist, and image maker. - which is also a nice story, but it is not true. The necklace - was created much later, days before the filming of the video "Cherie Cherie Lady".

At the end of 1987, Modern Talking broke up, citing artistic differences between Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders. Nora Balling has been blamed by some sources for this, however as Balling explained in an interview with La Segunda, that "the split didn't occur because of the fights between themselves. What happens is that their personalities are different. Dieter likes to visit night clubs. We, on the contrary, are very calm." Balling then worked with Anders on his music project Man-X as music producer and songwriter.

After releasing a couple of solo albums, Anders retired from his music career temporarily and moved with Balling to Los Angeles, California, where the lived in Clark Gable's former house. However, they returned to Germany some time later.

Balling divorced Anders in February 1999.

"Nora" necklace

Modern Talking was the subject of parodies because of the "Nora" necklace that Balling gave to Thomas Anders after their marriage. The necklace was large, and was easily and frequently parodied - as you see in the picture. Other than the large letters it is far from resembling the original, which later got lost (or was believed to be stoled in Thomas' household.

Despite the parodies and practical jokes they faced, Anders told Chilean newspaper La Segunda in 1989 that "[he] would never be going to take it out. It is my amulet."

Discography

Singles

• Man-X – Waiting So Long (1987)
• Man-X – I Believe (1988)

External links

• Nora Anders in Discogs