The well-known TV presenter Yuri Nikolaev had a lot of trials: poverty, alcohol dependence, serious illness. He admits that the support and care of his beloved wife Eleanor helped him to cope with any difficulties. The couple have been together for over 40 years, and when asked about the secret of a long family life, Nikolaev usually jokes: "Tours and amnesia."
Muscovite and a guy from the province
Yuri Alexandrovich was born on December 16, 1948 in Chisinau. His parents worked together in the KGB, met during the war. Nikolaev's mother, Valentina Ignatovna, by that time already had a daughter, Tatyana. The girl's father died in Odessa in 1941. Yuri Nikolaev in childhood was very close to his father Alexander Siliverstovich, with pleasure he shared with him typical male activities, such as going to the bathhouse. In his free time from school, the future star presenter was engaged in swimming and volleyball. But his favorite hobby was the drama club at the Palace of Pioneers.
In his youth, Nikolaev played his first roles, and his first success inspired him to enter a theater university. The young man did not want to stay in his hometown and went to storm the capital's institutes. He easily entered GITIS, although at first he could not get used to life in Moscow for a long time. But the friendly student fraternity to some extent replaced the warm family atmosphere for Nikolaev. Such famous actors as Vladimir Gostyukhin, Olga Ostroumova, Nikolai Merzlikin studied with him on the course. Yuri also made friends with Ronald Gravis, his classmate from the directing department. In a student environment, he met his future first wife.
Galina was a native Muscovite and at first seemed completely unreal to Nikolaev - the girls in the capital were so strikingly different from the ladies from the provinces. Their relationship began with a rehearsal of a joint excerpt, and when the communication of the lovers had already gone far enough, Galina's parents persistently started talking about the wedding. Yuri, as a decent person, was not against marriage. His parents took their son's decision calmly. The student wedding was magnificent and solemn. Then the newlyweds settled in a small apartment with Galina's parents.
Nikolaev's first marriage lasted only two years. All this time he was tormented by the realization that he was dependent on strangers. In addition, the young wife tormented Yuri with scenes of jealousy and suspicion. But, oddly enough, they managed to part peacefully, although then they quickly lost sight of each other.
Friend's sister
After graduating from GITIS, Nikolaev focused on his career. He was accepted into the troupe of the Pushkin Theater. The issue of housing was not immediately resolved, but as a result, the young actor was settled in a communal apartment, where the famous married couple Vladimir Menshov and Vera Alentova with their little daughter Julia became his neighbors. They all quickly managed to get along, and the future TV presenter Yulia Menshova loved spending time in Uncle Yura's room.
Since 1973, Nikolaev began working in television as a freelance employee. In his personal life, changes have also been outlined. Once in a trolleybus, Yuri Alexandrovich met an old acquaintance - Eleanor or simply Lena, as her relatives called her. The girl was the younger sister of Ronald Gravis, his old friend from GITIS. Nikolaev drew attention to her from the first meeting. But then Lena was barely 14 years old, and there could be no question of any courtship. By the way, she also secretly sympathized with her brother's classmate from the very beginning, and was very upset when she learned about his marriage. Fortunately, at the time of the meeting in the trolleybus, he was free for a long time, and Lena was finishing school. Nikolaev began to look after the girl, and in the summer, after her successful admission to the Moscow Financial Institute, he invited him to accompany him on a tour of the theater in Krasnodar. Lena agreed, but she had to deceive her parents by lying about the rest in Gurzuf in the company of a friend. Nikolaev considers this trip to be the beginning of their serious relationship.
The lovers signed on April 5, 1975. The future husband made the decision to marry spontaneously, tired of the need to observe conventions and hide from Eleanor's parents. In truth, they weren’t thrilled with their daughter’s choice, but they didn’t interfere. On the day of the wedding, the newlyweds organized a modest celebration in the hostel where Nikolaev lived, and a week later they had a banquet in a restaurant. On their wedding night, the couple had to spend the night in the company of Yuri's relatives, who had come to the celebration.
Family life
According to Nikolaev, his wife had a difficult time with him. The first years of their life together they lived very modestly. Then, when Yuri Alexandrovich came up with the program "Morning Star", the spouses had to take a huge loan to create the author's program. To prevent her husband from being deceived by his employees, Eleonora Aleksandrovna decided to deal with all financial issues herself. So she left her job at the State Planning Committee and moved to the UNIX TV company, created by Nikolayev.
In addition, for many years the second marriage of the television star remained in jeopardy due to his alcoholism. Due to the specifics of his work, Yuri often received invitations to join other people's banquets and almost never refused. He disappeared from home, and his wife had to find him in order to take him home in a deranged state. In addition, Eleanor obtained information for her husband to cover up the TV presenter's absence at work. No persuasion of relatives, the tears of his wife could affect Nikolaev. Only when he appeared on the air drunk and was under threat of dismissal, the TV presenter decided to end his addiction. Since then, he has been leading a sober lifestyle for about 30 years.
Unfortunately, the fight against alcoholism has robbed the couple of the opportunity to have children. Nikolayev's wife, seeing his condition, for a long time feared having children with him. When her husband embarked on the path of correction, the long-awaited pregnancy, alas, did not come. Yuri Alexandrovich and his wife find consolation in their nephews. The TV presenter helped his sister Tatyana move to Moscow, and her daughter paid for her education and bought an apartment.
The faithful wife helped Nikolaev survive another misfortune - cancer. By the way, with her submission, the disease was detected on time, so the treatment gave a positive result.
The years of marriage did not exterminate the craving for romance in Yuri Alexandrovich. He still surprises his wife and finds something to surprise her with. True, it is not alien to spouses and rest separately, when Nikolaev goes hunting, and Eleanor spends time in the company of her friends. Nikolaev is sure that there is no single algorithm for a long family life, but initially “feelings, desire and ability to understand and forgive and the understanding that you are one whole that is easy to break” are important.
