Daniela (36) and Martin (38): "We harmonize perfectly both at home and in the restaurant"

"When you work in the catering industry, relationships are one of those things: the irregular working hours, evening and weekend shifts and public holiday work don't make it easy to have a relationship on the side," says Daniela from Cologne. "Until a few years ago, all my relationships had broken up sooner or later. But then I met Martin."

The then 31-year-old had also been a bachelor for some time at this point. "I did have short relationships or affairs from time to time, but most of the women were so jealous because of my job as a bar manager that at some point it was no longer possible," says Martin. "And of course, I kept meeting other women at work who I was also nice to - but that's part of it. But if you don't come from the hospitality industry, you don't understand that."

When Martin started working in the bar where Daniela also worked, it was love at first sight. "The way she moved, how charming and attentive she was to guests - and what a dazzling smile she always had for me - I was immediately captivated by it all," says Martin with a grin. Daniela: "I didn't actually have any intention of falling in love at the time, but then it happened. We quickly became a couple - and it went really well. I suddenly had a great man by my side, who had the same impossible working hours and understood and shared the whole restaurant life with me. There were no more conflicts or need for explanations."

Their colleagues are happy for them. "Even our boss thought it was great, he said we were simply a dream team - both privately and in the restaurant," says Martin. And the two have something else in common: "I've always wanted to open a restaurant - and Martin also dreamed of having his own place," says Daniela. "Well, and two years ago we took the plunge into self-employment together - and opened our own little bistro. Although it was really tough at first, we mastered it - and it brought us even closer together."

Jasmin (41) and Uwe (54): "When our relationship became public, everyone put me down"

"The story of Uwe and me fits all the clichés," says Jasmin from Darmstadt. "He's a married family man and regional manager of an energy supplier, and I'm single and one of his five closest employees." Almost every evening, they both sit in the office for longer. "At first, our conversations were limited to business matters, but over time they became more and more private," says Jasmin.

She began to develop feelings for Uwe. "I knew that wasn't possible because he had a wife and two children - I couldn't and didn't want to destroy a family," says the 41-year-old. Uwe: "I also felt attracted to Jasmin long before our first kiss. It wasn't just because I saw her more often than my wife, but because I was fascinated by her passion for the job - which I also shared. I also found her incredibly funny and beautiful."

After six months, Jasmin and Uwe could no longer run away from their feelings. They start an affair. "It was exciting and awful at the same time," says Jasmin. "And I knew the whole time that it had to end - no matter what."

To her surprise, Uwe separates from his wife after a few weeks - and makes his relationship with Jasmin public in the office. "I didn't want to play hide-and-seek any more. And Jasmin saw it the same way. So I spoke to my colleagues." But for Jasmin, everyday office life became a gauntlet: "There were always whispers as soon as I came down the corridor, I was no longer invited to meetings after work - they treated me like a leper." When talks with her colleagues led nowhere, she drew the line four months later: "I applied for a job at another company - and I'm very happy about this decision. Uwe and I are still happy, but the situation in the office would have put too much strain on our love in the long term."