The intricacies of fate
Julia was born in 1967. She was born into a prosperous Moscow Rybakov family: her father worked as a taxi driver, her mother was a conservatory graduate. Julia received two higher educations, one of which opened the doors to the world of design. However, the passion for journalism won out.
After studying, the girl married for great love. Julia didn’t say anything more about her first marriage. It is only known that the journalist gave birth to a son, Alexander, from her chosen one.
In the 90s, Julia’s personal life became closely connected with work - this lasted until the end of her days. In 1992, a woman got a job at Radio 101, where Andrei Norkin headed the information service. For several years they maintained an exclusively working relationship, but later they began an affair that ended in marriage. In 1995, there was an addition to the Norkin family - this time Julia gave birth to a girl, who was named Alexandra.
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The family of journalists did not stop growing at this point. At the beginning of the new millennium, the couple worked together at the radio stations “Moscow Speaks” and “Echo of Moscow”. When Norkina was working on a project about orphanages, she made a firm decision to adopt a child. So, in 2002, the number of Yulia’s relatives increased by one son, Artem, and two years later the couple adopted his brother Lesha. The children were abandoned by the blood mother.
After this, the Norkins decided to change the atmosphere of the noisy capital to a quieter place. The couple took out a mortgage on a country house, where Julia temporarily became a housewife. She not only had to nurse children, but also take care of cats, dogs and horses.
In 2021, a couple of journalists began broadcasting on Komsomolskaya Pravda with the radio programs “In Simple Words” and “120 Minutes with Andrei and Yulia Norkin.” In addition, when the woman established herself as an expert, she became a frequent guest on various television shows, including “Let Them Talk” and “The Stars Aligned.”
Yulia Norkina conducted her last radio broadcast on April 26, 2021. It was part of a marathon organized in support of health workers who are bravely fighting the coronavirus. In addition, in May of the same year, an episode of the “Let Them Talk” program was recorded with the participation of the journalist. The episode of the show was released after the woman's death.
Career
The first stage of Andrei Norkin’s professional biography was collaboration with radio stations. In 1992, he left the stadium and got a job at Radio 101, where he also headed the directorate of information programs. Having gained experience as a presenter, he came to NTV at the age of 28. The newcomer was entrusted with leading first the morning and then the afternoon newscasts, as well as the “Hero of the Day” program.
As a TV presenter, Norkin collaborated with NTV until 2001. At the same time, he decided to get a higher education by enrolling in the correspondence department of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Later, Andrei abandoned his studies due to being busy at work and the need to take care of his family, which by that time had two children growing up.
The journalist described the reasons for leaving the opposition channel and breaking relations with the majority of representatives of liberal circles in his second book, “From NTV to NTV. The secret meanings of television. My information war." When asked by colleagues from Express Newspaper why Norkin abandoned liberal ideas, the presenter replied:
“I worked long and closely with people who are the bearers of these ideas... One day I realized that the guys were using us and simply deceiving us.”
In 2002, the man left NTV for the body newly created by Alexei Venediktov. It produced content but did not have a broadcaster's license. But it became a step in career growth for Norkin - he was entrusted with the post of editor-in-chief. Also, until 2007, he headed the capital’s representative office of RTVi, the international ]Vladimir Gusinsky[/anchor], broadcasting in Russian, with its main office located abroad. This enterprise was informally the successor to NTV.
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Andrey Norkin and his wife Yulia Norkina
At the same time as Norkin, Mikhail Osokin, Evgeny Kiselev, Viktor Shenderovich and others moved here. During this period, the company became a winner of TEFI-2006. The prize is awarded for hosting the “Now in Russia” program.
Having finally parted ways with the opposition, in 2008 Andrei came to Channel Five. The new position makes us remember the passion of our youth: Norkin is appointed artistic director of the “Morning on Fifth” program, where he is also responsible for hosting.
After two years of creative work, he switches to hosting only, freeing up time for collaboration with the emerging radio station Kommersant FM.
Since 2011, he has only worked on radio. In 2013, cooperation was interrupted for 4 months due to Norkin’s project on the Public Television of Russia, but in the summer the man returned to the Kommersant publishing house. He also hosts programs on the stations “Echo of Moscow” and “Moscow Speaks”.
From 2014 to 2021, the journalist again turns to television. Helps produce episodes of the “Replica” program, which is broadcast by “Russia-24”, and returns to NTV. His projects “Anatomy of the Day” and “Norkin’s List” are being published.
Well-known media critic Irina Petrovskaya notes that Andrei does not shy away from falsifying facts. The presenter is also criticized for purposefully selecting only those program characters who can confirm his point of view.
For example, TV viewers remember an episode of Norkin’s TV show, where he did not allow Ksenia Sobchak to say a word. The presenter did not hide the fact that he was doing this because at one time he was “shut up” on Dozhd.
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Andrei Norkin and his family
In 2015, he briefly collaborated with a TV channel focused on Orthodox themes, and in 2016 he finally returned to NTV. The main project is the talk show “Meeting Place”. Topics that are capable of causing heated debate are selected for discussion.
However, Norkin himself becomes a victim of passionate debate, for whom confrontation with opponents often turns into brawls.
So, in February 2021, when an episode dedicated to Donbass was broadcast live, the presenter tried to hit Ukrainian blogger Dmitry Suvorov. He wanted to ridicule his opponent for talking about the victims of the war in Donbass. Other filming participants also got involved in the fight. Subsequently, the TV channel apologized to Suvorov.
Until April 2021, Andrey hosted “Meeting Place” with Olga Belova, but then the presenter took up her own project - the “Reaction” program, aired on the same channel.
In addition to working on TV, Norkin goes on air on the Komsomolskaya Pravda radio. His partner on the “120 Minutes” program at this station was his wife Yulia Norkina. In 2021, the program was renamed and became known as “Simple Words.” Guests of the Norkins' studio were Valery Fadeev, Evgeny Primakov, Oksana Pushkina and others.
In the summer of 2021, a scandal broke out regarding the performances of Danila Poperechny. Norkin was outraged that he constantly jokes about religion. Seeing this as a possible violation of the law on the protection of the feelings of believers, he wrote a statement to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. A check has begun on him.
My heart couldn't handle the stress
On June 5, 2021, a heartbreaking publication appeared on Andrei Norkin’s page on the social network Instagram. The TV presenter reported an irreparable loss that left a hole in his heart. Norkin’s beloved wife and colleague, mother of four children, suddenly passed away.
“Yulchonka is no more. Here, in this world in which she saved not only hedgehogs, but mostly people. If you want and can say goodbye to her, come on Saturday, June 6, to the Novoderevenskoye cemetery in Pushkino,” the journalist wrote on the microblog.
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In a conversation with Komsomolskaya Pravda, family friend Evgeny Spitsyn named the official cause of Yulia Norkina’s death - a heart attack. The man noted that the family knew about the journalist’s weak heart. It is assumed that it could not stand it due to the worries and problems that fell on Julia. So, she was very worried about her relationship with her sons, who moved from middle school to high school. Parents often find it difficult to cope with teenage children.
In addition, she had problems at work. According to TV presenter Oksana Pushkina, in her last conversation with her, Yulia Norkina spoke about the closure of the radio program. The journalist worked on the project together with her husband. Norkina did not know how she would live without her favorite activity. Such a dialogue took place between the women two months before Julia’s sudden death.
We must also not forget about the coronavirus pandemic, which raged throughout the world with particular force last summer. The situation in society and the unknown depressed almost everyone.
Family now
Now Andrei Norkin and his wife Yulia live happily and have four children. In order to give everything the children needed, for some time the woman had to forget about her career as a journalist. She appeared on her husband's program as a regular viewer. She often comments on the performances of program guests. Recently, Yulia Norkina returned to journalism.
Julia's main purpose is to create family comfort and take care of the family. She is not against this and believes that this purpose is the most important thing in life. Now the Norkins have begun building a large house so that each family member can comfortably accommodate. In addition to children, the spouses have many pets. Children constantly pick them up on the street and carry them into the house.
Despite the fact that Artem and Alexey are the adopted sons of the Norkins, they consider them their parents. The couple decided not to hide from the boys that they had adopted them in order to avoid misunderstandings and offenses in the future.
Andrey Norkin managed to find the ideal balance for himself between career and family. Viewers accustomed to seeing him tough and straightforward on screen will be surprised how soft and gentle he is with his family. But this is known only to his relatives.
On June 5, 2021, it became known that a tragedy had occurred in Andrei’s family. Norkin's wife died at 53. The TV presenter has not yet shared details.
Silent cry of the soul
After Yulia Norkina passed away, a wide variety of stories began to swirl around her death. Alternative versions of the journalist's death were associated with many factors. One of the most common unofficial versions is voluntary death. It originated from blogger Anton Suvorkin and found its online audience. There were rumors that recently Yulia Norkina had been behaving extremely unusually - the always cheerful TV presenter suddenly dimmed and walked around as if she had been lost.
Exactly a month before her death, Yulia Norkina published a tragic poem on her microblog, the leading motive of which was the expectation of an imminent death. Every line of Boris Pasternak’s work “My Soul, Sorrowful One” is literally imbued with tragedy and a feeling of imminent death. Touched fans found a hint of depression in the lines. “A silent cry from the soul” is how fans described Norkina’s condition a month before her heart attack.
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There was talk in society about Andrei Norkin’s infidelity. Allegedly, this factor was the reason for the depressed state of the TV presenter’s wife. However, close friends of the family reject this version. The chosen ones lived together for 28 years. According to Vladimir Dolinsky, Andrei and Yulia are an example of a relationship where love and respect have not disappeared after so many years of marriage.
“She was the soul for Andrei. Julia adored him and was proud of him, and he was very proud of her. According to our feelings, mine, my wife and my daughter, they were a happy married couple. Proud and worthy people,” assured a family friend.
Shortly before her death, Yulia Norkina changed dramatically in appearance. At first, many thought that the reason lay in unsuccessful plastic surgery, but later star producer Olesya Sazykina put forward another version of the journalist’s deplorable appearance. According to her, Yulia came to the shooting slightly drunk - the woman emanated a sharp, characteristic smell of alcohol. Problems with alcohol, according to the public, could also begin due to family troubles.
Journalist Andrei Norkin, who buried his wife, did not remain silent and responded to accusations of infidelity, because of which Yulia allegedly took her own life. The TV presenter said that he would not comment on the rumors. Norkin offered to prove the rumors about betrayal and asked directly whether he had to make excuses to anyone.
There was also another guess in the air about the passing of Yulia Norkina, which is full of mysticism and generally bears little resemblance to the truth. Fans accused Armen Dzhigarkhanyan’s ex-wife Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya of the journalist’s death. Women often clashed in the studio of the TV show “Let Them Talk.” The pianist seemed to try to destroy her opponent with her “paranormal” charms. But Norkina’s friend Leonid Dzyunik refutes this gossip. In his opinion, Vitalina would not take sin on her soul.
"Mysterious" funeral in the forest
Yulia Norkina’s final resting place was not in the usual cemeteries for celebrities, such as Troekurovskoye and Vagankovskoye. The woman was buried in the Novo-Derevenskoye cemetery, which is located in a deep forest and has no clear boundaries.
Fans of mysticism and mysterious stories associated the decision of Norkina’s relatives to bury her in the forest with the version of the TV presenter laying hands on herself, but the truth turned out to be much more prosaic. In Pushkino there was a dacha for the father of the late Gennady Rybakov, who passed away in 2012. The man was buried at the Novo-Derevenskoye cemetery. Years later, it was decided to take Yulia Norkina on her last journey there.
“We saw off my little girl... Thanks to everyone who came. And there were dozens and dozens of them: relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors and complete strangers who simply loved Yulchonka. Of course, a lot of things have already been written... Don’t pay attention! She wouldn't like it. She loved you people very much! There just wasn’t enough strength for everyone,” Norkin wrote.
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