He is a UNICEF ambassador against child prostitution, a role for which he was rewarded by Kinderlachen with the "Kind-Award 2006". He has also become a patron of the charity "TukTuk-Tour" from Asia to Europe. He also accompanied Bundesminister Sigmar Gabriel on the creation of the Naturallianz by the CBD-COP9. His first marriage produced two sons and ended in divorce. In 2009 he remarried to Austrian communications-trainer and painter Katrin Fehringer, with whom he lived in Starnberg near Munich and with whom in 2009 he adopted a girl from Thailand. They also have a son (who died of crib death) and a daughter. They divorced in 2015.