She is known to the general public as a precursor to NOS Jeugdjournaal. In the years that followed, Leonie Janssen (aged 67) worked in the theater as a singer/director. There she was also introduced to her current partner at the end of the 80s: singer/(voice) actor Jeroen Kramer (66), who introduced Heat Clochis for many years. There was no love at that time.

the death

They later played together on the children’s pop show Het Hart Bonkt, where the band was led by Leoni’s second husband, composer/arranger Onno Krijn. The decor was made by Jeroen’s wife, visual artist Elsie Esger. Couples became friends. But in the summer of 2014, the sweet, carefree connection rudely broke: Leonie’s husband and Jeron’s wife were diagnosed with colon cancer! The disease was different for everyone. Onno only received bad news during the treatment process. ‘Seven months later, he died,’ Leonie told Nouveau of ‘Sweeter than dearest,’ who died on January 20, 2015, at the age of 57. They have exchanged their joys and sorrows for 24 years. Ilse won the fight, but two years later she was wrong again. She was diagnosed with acute leukemia, with a 10 percent survival rate. Jeroen was the first to report the terrible news to Leonie. She supported her friends wherever she could. “Issey’s disease has also lasted for seven months, which is crazy,” Leoni says. She did not have to hesitate when Jeron asked her if she wanted to sing at Elsie’s funeral, which he had to leave after 33 years of love. She was still in a coma when Leonie and Jerón chose beautiful music in his office. It was strange, but they also found it comforting to take part in it. After Ilse’s death on December 29, 2017, Leonie and Jeroen continued to see each other.

Kiss

Sharing their grief and sad experiences brought the two closer together. But they also enjoyed being “just” around each other. “It didn’t take long before we did everything together: lots of walks, going to the movies, concerts…” They enjoyed their time together, but they didn’t have to think about a relationship. “We used to kiss every now and then just for fun. It was also too early. However, at some point, they had to conclude that their friendship was starting to look suspiciously like a relationship. Then they decided to go all out.