"Woman Under the Root" from Viral Nova Report Runs for ODS in Prague

Zdenka Novotná, a resident of Prague's Petrovice district who years ago unwittingly became the star of a bizarre Nova TV report and earned the nickname "the woman under the root," has decided to run for municipal council again — this time for the ODS party. She shared the news at a family-run establishment on the Vltava in Prague's Braník district, officially called "U Baby pod Kořenem" pub ("At the Woman Under the Root").

"I didn't want to run again, but young people convinced me that the old-timers in Petrovice still remember me," Novotná admitted.

The Story of the Tree Root

The now-famous incident happened during an outing with friends: the woman, who loved walking in the forest to think and write poetry, got stuck overnight under a tree root — just fifty meters from her group of friends. Frightened, she lost her voice and couldn't call for help. Later, during filming for a Nova TV report, she agreed to crawl under the root again for the cameras — and the resulting segment wasn't exactly flattering.

Today Novotná takes the story with humor and notes that people still recognize her, even though she's since lost twenty kilograms. "I got the sign with the pub's name as a birthday present, and the rowing lads hung it up here. Regular customers even ordered T-shirts," she says with a smile.

The restaurant in Braník has been run for ten years by her younger daughter, Hana, who herself wears a red T-shirt reading "Docking at the Woman's Place" — the whole riverside complex caters to water sports enthusiasts. During the interview, two of Novotná's three grandchildren were behind the bar.

From Internet Meme to Election List

The story of "the woman under the root" once inspired a film, parody songs, T-shirts with various slogans, and even the name of a signature move used by a Czech MMA fighter. The local ODS branch didn't miss the chance to capitalize on this unexpected internet fame: in a campaign video, Novotná jokes that this time she's not surrounded by a tree, but by a young team.

She herself is running at number eleven on the list and admits that even if elected, she won't push for leadership positions but will remain a rank-and-file councilor. "Young people need to take up the baton now, so to speak. We used to write everything on paper, archive everything by hand. They have mobile phones and artificial intelligence, and at our age that's a bit much for us. We can offer advice here and there, but the rest is up to them. Youth first!" she says.

Novotná joined ODS out of frustration with what was happening in her home district, Prague 15. "I didn't like a lot of what was going on in our district. And since I'm a determined and active woman, I tried to take matters into my own hands," she explained. After her previous term ended, she failed to win a seat in the following municipal election, but she didn't turn her back on the party or on politics. "In retirement there's plenty of time, no need to rush, and I have the chance to think more about what young people, older residents, and life in our district in general really need," she concluded.

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Source: novinky.cz