His on-air slip-ups made him famous. Philippe Candeloro, the former skater behind the microphone, regrets his freedom of tone.
“ We can’t say anything anymore” or “it was better before “, such is the content of the interview given to Figaro La Nuit by Philippe Candeloro, former skater, double Olympic medalist and vice-world champion in 1994. Renowned for his unfiltered comments that some would consider sexist and racist today , Nelson Monfort’s sidekick soon got behind the microphonein the comments, has the feeling of no longer being himself on the air.
“ Today with #MeToo, with wokism, we are no longer as natural as at the starthe whispers to journalist Thibaut Gauthier, skates on his feet. We are not told: “You can’t say that, you can’t do this.” We self-censor out of fear. Fear that every word we say could almost be an insult. » And to insist: “ I’m straight. Is it a disease today? I have the impression that yes… It frustrates me that we are supposedly a country of freedoms and that ultimately, we are no longer as free as that. »
“Stupid schoolboy jokes” for signature
To justify his legendary banter, the person concerned readily highlights his Norman origins. “ They’re trying to take away my DNA, the way I’ve lived my whole life, that is to say with my stupid schoolboy jokes. I have a Norman mother, so we went to Norman weddings where we had fun turning the napkins », he laughs.
And to embrace this French side which, according to him, has contributed to the promotion of figure skating in France: “ Thanks to the comments I was able to make, we brought in three million additional viewers at one point. Before I arrived, we were bored. We brought a little humor, which meant that guys who never watched skating started listening to us. Guys or ladies! Today, France Télévisions risks firing me, because I am no longer the one they came for sixteen years ago. »
