Iñaki Urdangarin, former Duke of Palma and ex-husband of Infanta Cristina, has given his first interview after leaving prison, where he spent 1,000 days for the Nóos case. He discussed his emotional struggles, the loss of his marriage, and how sports helped him cope with the experience. The 57-year-old Urdangarin also announces the publication of his memoirs in February.
On December 11, 2025, Iñaki Urdangarin gave a more than 50-minute interview on the program 'Pla seqüència' on RTVE's La 2, hosted by Jordi Basté in Catalan. This is his first television appearance after serving his sentence for the Nóos case, in which he was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison for fraud, prevarication, influence peddling, and tax offenses. He entered Brieva prison in Ávila on June 19, 2018, and spent 1,000 days there in an isolated module for security reasons.
Urdangarin described the first months as extremely tough: "I cried a lot in the first months. You can't believe it, you go over the process and you have no other way out but to cry. I wouldn't wish it on anyone". He admitted not being proud of how he managed the emotional situation, falling into a 'negative loop' that worried those around him. He sought psychological help and immersed himself in courses on mindfulness, yoga, and emotional stability, which led him to enroll in a master's in sports psychology at UNED. Sports were key: "Sport was my medicine; if you don't have a why, you don't have a how". He used a stationary bike, a ball, and a net to maintain his routine.
Among the losses, he highlighted his separation from Cristina de Borbón in 2022: "Because of prison, I lost one of the loves of my life, Cristina". He said it was a hard period that affected his family, with whom he had weekly visitation rooms and visits. He mentioned his son Pablo, a handball player for Granollers and recently called up to the Spanish national team, in a video call during the interview.
After obtaining third degree status, he worked in a social home in Madrid and then in Vitoria with his mother. Now, at 57, he describes himself as a 'new Iñaki', with ongoing projects, outdoor bike rides, and a rebuilt life with Ainhoa Armentia. He announced the publication of his memoirs on February 12, 2026, by Grijalbo, where he will tell his version: "For many years, my life was told by others".
