After holding the helm of the popular show Salut Bonjour for 17 years during the week and 4 years on the weekend, Gino Chouinard leaves his position as host on June 21. By turning this important page in his professional life, the presenter who thrives on challenges wishes to take on new ones. But in the meantime, he plans to settle down this summer with Isabelle, his lover of 25 years, and their two children, Marilou, 17, and Nathan, 14.
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Gino, it’s now the big departure of Salut Bonjour. Do you feel good about your decision?
Yes, I am at peace with my decision. From the moment I took it, I had no doubts. I was glad I dared to do it, because it took courage to let go of a vine without having another to cling to. (laughs) There is one thing, however, that bothers me… It’s that I still love what I do. And I savored every moment of it. It’s nice because I don’t leave my job bitter or disappointed. I do it in a context that I consider perfect.
And, it must be remembered, it was a carefully considered decision…
Yes, and despite everything, the deadline is coming faster than I would have imagined. When I announced my decision 18 or 19 months ago, I was tired, burned out. I even wondered if the deadline was too far away. Currently, I realize that it wasn’t and that time is slipping through my fingers. There is a form of awareness about all this, but also a certain nostalgia.
Do you feel a certain mourning at the idea of turning the page on this beautiful adventure?
For the past month, every day, I’ve told my team how much I’m going to miss it and that I’m going to miss them. Usually, by mid-August, my personal life reverted to a professional life, with phones, interviews, preparations, etc. But this summer, when we reach this period, there will be a big void…
You won’t have a return to school program, while everyone will be in turmoil. Are you going to miss it?
I’m dreading this moment. Maybe I should do something, like a trip. But we have to see the bright side of things in this renewal, because in fact, for the last two or three years, I had the impression that, during the summer, I was no longer able to recharge my batteries sufficiently. I was starting to feel the wear and tear of the years. I spent 17 years in animation during the week and 4 years on weekends, for a total of 21 years. I regret not having taken the time to savor everything that happened to me. Hello Hello, we are still in the whirlwind: everything is going so fast that we are always planning the next show.
We imagine that over time there have been tons of memorable encounters…
Yes, and of all kinds. I had some unusual encounters. With Bob the Spoon, in particular. There were several meetings with youth idols: Dennis DeYoung from Styx, Gowan, French singers that my parents made me listen to when I was young, including Gérard Lenorman. It was impressive for a guy from a very rural background to find himself on TV and to have the opportunity to meet personalities who marked part of his youth. James Blunt came to my set to sing You’re Beautiful… One day, for Halloween, Claude Steben lent me his costume from Captain Cosmos, a show I watched as a child. I experienced lots of magical moments.
To read the full interview, you can get the 7 Jours magazine, on newsstands now.
