In Gino Chouinard’s professional career, 21 years have been devoted to the animation of Hi hello. He first spent three years at the helm of Hello Good morning weekendbefore making the jump to the daily weekday show in 2007. It is therefore not surprising that several collaborators — old and new — friends, as well as members of his family and the artistic community came to show him their love on this day of departure. A page is turning, but a new chapter is being created…
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Valerie Blum / ECHOS VEDETTES
“He has a significant influence on different aspects of my life”
Pour Mathieu Royits links with Gino Chouinard have moved beyond the professional phase: “He has become, by force of circumstance, a friend in whom I can confide. He knows the secrets he must keep to himself and those he can reveal to one person at a time. He gives good advice on matters concerning my personal and family life. Gino knows my children, and he has given them toys that belonged to his children. Gino’s bicycle Marilou (Gino’s daughter) was my daughters’ first two-wheeled bike. It has had a significant influence on many aspects of my life.”
Through the tsunami of emotions he went through in his personal life, Mathieu Roy admits: “For me, Hi hello has been an extraordinary refuge in recent years. It’s a plateau where you can settle down and feel good. And my bond with Gino has only improved. He convinced me that my judgment was good, that I should move forward with what I had as feeling. A big part of my well-being goes to Gino.”
Mathieu Roy is still thrilled that Gino’s replacement is Eve-Marie Lortiewith whom he has such an exceptional bond: “I know her well, because it is with her that I began to Hello Good morning weekend 10 years ago. I get along really well with her.” If he wondered about his place in the show after 10 years, Mathieu Roy is now convinced of one thing: “I am certain that it is worth continuing.”
Valerie Blum / ECHOS VEDETTES
From radio to TV for Patrick Benoit
Fate does things strangely. “We all have something special to tell about Gino. For me, it was when I started doing radio in Joliette. I was there to replace Gino, who had changed time slots. He was the one who gave me my first training and taught me the job. Then, after working for about twenty years in radio, my first experience on television was with Gino. It’s special how life brings us together again,” he tells us, charmed by his colleague’s kindness. “He already had it in 1994 and I felt it when I arrived in 2016 at Hi hello.»
Valerie Blum / ECHOS VEDETTES
“Gino’s heart is what stands out the most to me”
Departures are not always easy to live with, and that of Gino Chouinard is no exception for Geraldine Lamarche, weather presenter on the show. “It’s difficult because we lose a friend. Personally, I also lost a father, a mentor, an ear, and above all a big heart. We do television and we’re in good spirits on set, but we’re human and sometimes we have more difficult life experiences. Gino is always there for everyone. I’m not the only one who would say that, but I don’t know who would support Gino as a leader and moral support in a team, she reveals. He is always in positivity and confidence. He’s super sensitive. You can pass him smiling in the hallway and he can still guess if there’s a little something. He gives life advice. “Trust yourself, everything will work out for the best.” It goes beyond our career. Gino’s heart is what stands out the most to me.”
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