This year’s line-up in “The stars in the castle” on SVT consists of the presenter and the artist Sanna Nielsenthe star chef Marcus Samuelssonthe presenter Mark Levengoodthe Olympic medalist Pernilla Wiberg and the artist Caroline of Ugglas.
Caroline af Ugglas is probably counted as one of Sweden’s most colorful performers and artists, and has perhaps never really stayed on the carpet. She has been open about her wild and somewhat derailed past, which included a lot of alcohol and drugs.
Therefore, Marcus Samuelsson was shocked by the meeting with Mark Levengood
Caroline af Ugglas 1999. Image source: Jonas Ekströmer/TT Image Caroline af Ugglas 2001. Image source: Stella Pictures.
Something Caroline has also openly talked about is the crime she was convicted of in the late 1990s. In the book “Help, who am I?” which Caroline af Ugglas wrote together with the psychologist and the poet Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson in 2011 she went deeper into what actually happened during this period in her life.
The book is a verbatim description of the psychotherapy sessions that Caroline and Ulf conducted for over a year.
The cover of the book “Help, who am I” written by Caroline af Ugglas and Ulf “Ukon” Karl Olov Nilsson. Caroline af Ugglas was detained for nine days
– I woke up in a drunk cell and had to stay there for nine days. There was a trial and a suspended sentence. It was the nail in the coffin, says Caroline in the book.
Caroline af Ugglas partied wildly until she was 25 years old. Waking up in the drunken cell there in the late 90s was a wakeup call. Since then, she never drank that much again. Image source: SVT
This was April 6, 1997, and in the evening newspaper Expressen it was then written that Caroline – who was then 25 years old – and her friends had started the evening with white wine, and then ended up at the indoor restaurants East and Sturecompagniet on Stureplan in Stockholm.
Caroline had seen a sign there warning of pickpockets. It was enough to ignite an idea in her.
What punishment did Caroline af Ugglas get?
She started a challenge between her friends – the one who manages to steal the most wallets in 15 minutes wins. Caroline manages to take as many wallets as she likes.
– I ransacked wallets. I was competing with another to see who could steal the most wallets in one night. It is a serious and serious crime, you should know! Normally, you probably don’t detain someone for so long the first time, the reason why it happened to me was that there was a wallet gang going around at the time and they wanted to see that me and my friends were not flies in that net, Caroline told in her book.
Caroline af Ugglas was sentenced to two years probation and a fine. Caroline herself could not imagine that there would be such penalties.
Article about Caroline af Ugglas’ theft, in Expressen in October 1997. Image source: SVT
– The ridiculous thing was that I seriously thought that at most it could lead to me being ported from the pub. I thought they would say “Listen girl, you’ve had a little too much so you can go home and sleep”. But there was a police car and a huge riot, Caroline tells in the book.
Caroline af Ugglas in 2022. Image source: Claudio Bresciani/TT Bild
Today, it is nothing she is particularly proud of.
– I’m ashamed of this. I don’t really want to tell you this, says Caroline af Ugglas about the incident in “Stjärnorna på slotlett” on SVT.
The reason she tells about it today is to maybe help someone else who is going through a similar time.
Stjärnorna på Slottet is broadcast on SVT Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.