Karine Le Marchand is a French journalist and television presenter who is well known for presenting the French reality TV series L’Amour est dans le pré (2010), C’est ma vie (2010-2014), On ne chose pas ses frères (2011-2014), and Un air de Star (2013), all on the M6 channel.
Wiki/Biography
Karine Le Marchand was born as Karine M’Fayokurera [1]Liberation on Friday, August 16, 1968 (age 53 years; as of 2021), in Nancy, France.
Childhood picture of Karine Le Marchand
During childhood, Karine Le Marchand developed an interest in music, hence, she learned to play the harp and the transverse flute at the Conservatory of regional influence in Nancy, along with her sister Agnès. In 1986, she relocated from Nancy to Paris to pursue her dream to become a singer, but she landed up establishing a career as a TV presenter. After her bac de français in 1986, she earned her Bac D. [2]Pure People
Physical Appearance
[3]News.in-24 Height : 5′ 8″ (1.77 m)
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Karine Le Marchand’s father is of Burundian origin, and her mother hails from Lorraine, France. [4]Premiere She grew up with her elder sister, Agnès, her mother, who was an executive secretary, and her maternal grandmother.
Karine Le Marchand with her mother
Her parents separated when she was one and a half years old. Years later, she reunited with her father while shooting for a report in Burundi for the channel TV5 Monde. Thereafter, she learned that her father was the director of national television, a secret which her mother had kept from her. She took control of her emotions and interviewed her long-lost father. Two years after their reunion, his father died of AIDS.
Husband & Children
Her daughter, Alya, was born in 2003. Alya’s father was Hungarian-Jewish. [5]magicmaman
Karine Le Marchand with daughter Alya
In an interview, she talked about Alya’s father and said,
One evening, at the restaurant, I am with my companion and the waiter welcomes us with a ‘Hello Monsieur and Madame Le Marchand.’ As it was not his name, he took my hand and said: ‘Listen to me carefully, I will never be Monsieur Le Marchand’.”
Relationships/Affairs
At the age of seventeen, when she moved to Paris, she was dating a fighter pilot who wanted to become a model. From 2007 to 2013, she was in a relationship with Lilian Thuram, a French author and former professional footballer. While recollecting her courtship with Thuram, in an interview, she said,
It was he who noticed me in 2005 at a party. He did everything to see me again and find my phone number, she confided about her ex -companion . Me, I don’t like football, I didn’t even know who he was.”
Karine Le Marchand and Lilian Thuram
Previously, she was in a relationship with Passi, a hip-hop artist who became famous in the mid-1990s with the group Ministère AMER.
Karine Le Marchand and Passi
In February 2018, Karine Le Marchand started dating JoeyStarr, a French rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of the famous French rap band Suprême NTM. The speculations of their relationship began when Joeystarr posted a picture with Karine on his Instagram account. Just after three months of dating, Joeystarr and Karine separated.
Karine Le Marchand and JoeyStarr
Career
In Paris, instead of her fighter pilot boyfriend, who wanted to become a model, Karine caught the eye of the manager of Elite Model Management agency. Thereafter, she started her career as a model. In an interview, she revealed that she detested being a model. While stating the reasons behind her hate, she said,
J’ai détesté parce que d’abord j’ai du caractère et me dire “t’es la femme objet”…Quand on défilait, il fallait faire la gueule et je rigolais tout le temps…Il y avait des histoires ! Elles se faisaient des croche-pieds, elles renversaient du vernis sur la robe de mariée parce qu’elles étaient vexées que ce ne soient pas elles qui la portent. J’hallucinais complètement”
(I hated it because first of all I have character and telling myself ‘you’re the woman object’…When we paraded, we had to make the face and I laughed all the time… There were stories! They tripped over each other, they spilled varnish on the wedding dress because they were upset that they weren’t the ones wearing it. I was completely hallucinating.)
Later, she started doing voiceover when she joined the radio channel RMC. In 2014, she started appearing in the daily comedy radio program ‘Les Grosses têtes,’ which aired on the French language RTL radio network.
Karine Le Marchand (left) on Les Grosses têtes (2014)
As a TV Presenter
TV5, France 2, France 3, and France 5
In 1996, on TV5, she presented the show ’24 H en direct.’ In 1995, she secured herself the opportunity to present the program ‘Midi Pile’ on the channel France 3 Paris Île-de-France.
Karine Le Marchand in Midi Pile (1995)
In 1998, she hosted the program Musique-Musiques on TV5. From 2001 to 2004, she presented the show ‘À vos quarters’ on France 3. In the later 90s, she joined the channel France 2, where she presented the shows ‘Comment faire?’ and ‘Les Forges du Désert.’ In 2005, she hosted the French television program ‘Encore plus libre’ broadcast on France 2. She also hosted Les Tabous de …(2007) on France 2; the program focused on the prohibitions existing in French society like homosexuality, prostitution, etc. Other shows hosted by her on France 2 include ‘Les Rituels de l’amour’ (1999), ‘Super Loto’ (1999-2000), and annual French theater awards ceremony ‘Les Molières’ (2006-2008). In 2004, she hosted ‘Les Maternelles’ on France 5. From 2006 to 2009, she hosted ‘On n’est pas que des parents’ on France 5.
M6
In 2009, she became the editor-in-chief and host of ‘Générations Famille’ on M6. Soon after the release of its third episode, M6 terminated the show due to a lack of audience. Then, she started hosting the French television program ‘C’est ma vie’ on M6. Karine Le Marchand gained popularity when she started presenting ‘L’amour est dans le pré’ from its fifth season.
In 2011, she started co-hosting the show ‘On ne choisit pas ses voisins,’ along with Stéphane Plaza on M6.
Another show that she hosted on M6 was ‘Espoir de l’année,’ which showcased young artisans (like pastry chefs, hairdressers, butchers, florists, and beauticians) aged 16 to 25 who best represent the French craftsmanship. In 2021, she became the creator, producer, and presenter of the French TV show ‘Operation Renaissance.’ Broadcast on M6, the show followed ten people suffering from obesity who resort to bariatric surgery. The program endeavored to show the evolution of those ten people over the period of three years.
Other shows hosted by her on M6 includes La France a un incroyable talent (2020), Braqueurs (2021), and Transgenres (2021).
Karine Le Marchand hosting the show La France a un incroyable talent
Others
In 2012, Karine Le Marchand lent her voice to the program ‘Le Temps d’un poème’ on the kid’s channel Disney Junior. She also lent her voice to the cow’s character in the animated film ‘Comme des bêtes 2’ (2019).
In April 2013, she co-authored the book ‘L’Amour est tout près’ along with Alix Girod de l’Ain.
Other books authored by her includes ‘Devenir heureux… : Ces épreuves qui font notre force’ (2009) and ‘Les 15 étapes pour apprendre à s’aimer’ (2020).
In 2020, she made an appearance as herself in the French political drama television series ‘Baron Noir,’ which aired on Canal+.
Controversies
- Accused Lilian Thuram of domestic violence: After announcing her separation from the champion footballer in 2013 on the radio program of French columnist Enora Malagré, Karine filed a complaint against Lilian Thuram for domestic violence. Soon after, she withdrew the complaint. Lilian Thuram denied the allegations from the beginning and also claimed that Karine filed the complaint because he had refused her compensation. [6]femmeactuelle
- Slammed for being grossophobic: In 2020, after the release of her show called Operation Renaissance, which follows the struggles of ten obese people and their bariatric surgery, she was severely criticized and deemed as “grossophobic.” [7]Gala
- Slammed for seeking a subsidy of 117,000 euros: In 2021, Karine Le Marchand found herself in the midst of a controversy after she requested a subsidy of 117,000 euros to the South region to ecologically renovate her production company in Aix. The request triggered an outcry among environmentalists after the information was revealed by Marsactu, partner of Mediapart. She was slammed for seeking public funds for personal comfort. [8]Gala
Facts/Trivia
- Due to her excellent English speaking skills, her mother wanted her to become a flight attendant.
- For many years, Karine Le Marchand suffered from anorexia, an eating disorder causing people to obsess about weight and what they eat. When she was only 11, she went on her very first grapefruit and tuna diet to lose weight. In an interview, while talking about her eating disorder she said,
I only stayed a year in the agency, I didn’t have any friends there, I arrived from my province, I didn’t have the codes, I felt very sluggish…When I started I was told I had too many hips. I started to play sports, I hardly ate any more. I went under the bar of 50 kilos for 1.77 meters…”
After overcoming the disorder she became a fitness enthusiast and goes running five times a week.
- She is a non-vegetarian. [9]Liberation
- In 2021, she underwent surgery because of a Hallux Valgus, commonly called an “onion.” The deformation caused severe pain in her forefoot while walking. In 2019, she was operated for uterine tumor.
- She gave birth to her daughter at the age of 34. In an interview, she revealed that earlier, she struggled to get pregnant and was looking forward to assisted human reproduction. Fortunately, later, she got pregnant naturally.
- She takes her real name “Karine M’Fayokurera” from her Burundian father. She decided to choose the pseudonym “Karine Le Marchand” at the beginning of her career, a few minutes before the start of her first live broadcast. “Le Marchand” was the last name of her fiancé at that time. [11]Gala
- She is an ambassador of the Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’azur (PACA region) for agriculture and eco-responsibility that aims at defending the interests of the farmers and taking eco-friendly measures to fight against global warming.
Karine Le Marchand with Renaud Muselier, the president of Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’azur
- When appeared as a guest on France 5’s show ‘C à vous’ in 2020, Karine Le Marchand recounted the discrimination and racism she faced at the start of her career when she applied for the job of host of ‘Les Maternelles.’ Reportedly, she learned that the show’s producers hesitated to hire her because she was a black woman. [12]Pure People
References
| ↑1, ↑9 | Liberation |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Pure People |
| ↑3 | News.in-24 |
| ↑4 | Premiere |
| ↑5 | magicmaman |
| ↑6 | femmeactuelle |
| ↑7 | Gala |
| ↑8 | Gala |
| ↑10 | Gala |
| ↑11 | Gala |
| ↑12 | Pure People |
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