Gisèle Pelicot, 73, appeared on France 5 for her first televised interview after the trial that exposed years of orchestrated sexual assaults. On December 19, 2024, her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was convicted and 50 men were found guilty of rape or sexual assault. She described the shock of seeing evidence that she had been drugged and filmed, reflected on warning signs she had once ignored, and said she plans to visit her ex-husband in prison as part of her healing. Pelicot also discussed family fractures and a new relationship that began in 2023.
“Shame Must Change Sides”: Gisèle Pelicot’s First TV Interview — Five Takeaways
Gisèle Pelicot leaves a courthouse in Avignon, France, on December 16, 2024, after hearing the defense's final plea at the trial of her former partner Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted of drugging her for nearly 10 years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home in Mazan, a small town in the south of France. - Clement Mahoudeau/AFP/Getty Images/File
Gisèle Pelicot, 73, gave her first televised interview since the landmark trial that exposed decades of orchestrated sexual assaults, appearing on France 5 to discuss the case, her forthcoming memoir and how she is rebuilding her life.
Five Takeaways From the Interview
1. A Landmark Conviction. On December 19, 2024, Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was convicted for arranging repeated assaults against her over nearly a decade. That day, 50 men were found guilty of rape or sexual assault in a trial that shook France and helped focus public attention on systemic sexual violence.
2. The Moment of Recognition. Pelicot described the shock of being summoned by police and shown photographs and evidence that revealed she had been drugged and violated while her husband filmed the assaults. “I don’t recognize myself in those photos,” she said. Only after putting on her glasses did she see “this lifeless woman” and understand the full reality.
3. Warning Signs, Later Understood. Looking back, Pelicot said she noticed strange incidents—such as a mysterious yellow stain on clothing and a beer that changed color after her husband claimed to add mint syrup—but at the time she could not bring herself to confront what was happening.
4. A Personal Path Toward Closure. Although she did not address Dominique directly during the trial, Pelicot now says she plans to visit him in prison as part of her healing and to ask him, face to face, “Why did you do that?” She described her relationship with the 50-year marriage as complex: feelings of betrayal and indignation coexist with a desire to keep the good memories.
5. Family, Forgiveness and New Beginnings. Pelicot spoke candidly about fractures in her family. Her relationship with her daughter, Caroline, is slowly repairing; her son, David, “needs more time,” she said. Unexpectedly, Pelicot also revealed that she met a new partner, identified only as Jean-Loup, in 2023 — a relationship she called “incredible” and life changing.
“Shame must change sides,” Pelicot said outside the courtroom after the convictions — a phrase that became a rallying cry in France and beyond.
Pelicot’s memoir, A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides, is due next week and promises to expand on the testimony she first offered in court. Her public account continues to contribute to a broader conversation about how societies respond to survivors and how victims’ voices can shift cultural attitudes toward sexual violence.
Camille Knight contributed to this report.
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