Par Sally N.
– Published on July 1, 2024 at 12:50 p.m.modified on July 1, 2024 at 2:34 p.m.
Frédéric Lopez has been suffering from a degenerative disease for several years. The host is speaking out on the subject for the first time.
Photo credit: France 2
Frédéric Lopez managed to carve out a place for himself in the hearts of the French thanks to his two shows Rendez-vous en terre stranger and A Sunday in the Country. The facilitator always listens to others and remains humble in all circumstances. The producer also remains quite discreet about his private life. Last March, he made a very surprising revelation to our colleagues at Nice morning. He has indeed revealed that he suffers from a degenerative disease. He suffers from otosclerosis, a genetic disease that affects the tissue of the ear and which is unfortunately incurable.
Frédéric Lopez opens up about his illness
The presenter of Rendez-vous en terre inconnue has been wearing a hearing aid in his left ear for several years. The latter is in fact suffers from partial deafness. To our colleagues at Nice morninghe thus confided: “I had an operation on my right ear, except that it didn’t work, and I can no longer hear anything from that side. I only have 50% of my abilities left on my left, and I suffer from tinnitus, comparable to the sound of a vacuum cleaner all the time. It’s complicated when your job is to listen, but that’s how it is, I accept it. Anyone who was very afraid when coming out knows that one day they could become totally deaf.
Frédéric Lopez learns sign language
Knowing that his condition could never improve, Frédéric Lopez chose to learn sign language. The host has noticed for several years that some people were embarrassed when they discovered his illness. “In meetings, I see some people embarrassed, when they shouldn’t be! How many people wear glasses without it being a problem? At a dinner, it isolates you. I’m a bit withdrawn. But I’m fine with seeing others having fun,” he continued in particular. The producer even confided in a tone of humor that he would do “a sorting of his friends” if he ever became totally deaf.
The host supported by his fans
Frédéric Lopez does not want to hide his illness. He even says he is ready to promote hearing aids to raise awareness of this cause as many people as possible. Following the revelation of his illness last March, the host received an incredible wave of support from his fans. Recently, he declared to our colleagues to Tele-Leisure : “A lot of people have sent me personal messages saying that they were sorry about what was happening to me when they had known me for a long time, they knew I had deafness problems, but they had just forgotten”. The latest news is that Frédéric Lopez’s illness has stopped progressing. It could therefore be that the host does not become 100% deaf.
