This Saturday, November 30, Philippe Bouvard made a rare appearance at almost 95 years old. The opportunity for the great radio presenter to give his news, after having been absent for a long time.
He has been one of the greatest presenters on radio for several decades. He has worked on RTL since 1965 and his voice is today one of the most recognizable on the station. In recent years, his appearances on the radio have been rarer, due to his fragile state of health. The one who was at the head of Big Heads for 37 years will retire very soon as he celebrates his 95th birthday on December 6. On January 1, 2025, after 60 years of career, Philippe Bouvard will draw a line under his professional life. “There is a temptation which is not a temptation of laziness but a temptation of record… it is to go until January 1st [2025]. It won't be bad. And then listen to others and be silent“, he confided last June.
Philippe Bouvard, 95, makes a rare appearance
Recently, Philippe Bouvard has been very discreet. While he was due to deliver his monthly column in VSD last month, the magazine indicated: “Our friend Philippe Bouvard, a little tired – he must celebrate his 96th birthday on December 6 – was not able to give us his column, we can read. This is a first in more than 70 years of career.” Finally, on Saturday November 30, he made a rare appearance in Cannes on the occasion of the release of the documentary dedicated to him The Thousand and One Lives of Philippe Bouvard. Now forced to use a wheelchair, Philippe Bouvard declared on stage after being applauded for a long time: “I am very happy that we see, in the old man that I have become, a former young man who is still just as enthusiastic.“
He gives his news: “I'm going as we can go“
At the microphone of RTL, his faithful radio station, Philippe Bouvard spoke at length about his state of health. “I'm going as one can go when one enters one's 96th year“he confides before adding, “I'm a little soft“. Nevertheless, he hopes to be able to continue living for a while: “You have to wish me a few more peaceful years“. And this, despite the problems he encountered before. “I went blind about 8 years agoone day when I was at the Monaco casino. Suddenly, the large chandelier I was under became completely black. It never regained its colors. Hearing has declined significantly, but there are devices that partly make up for the deficiencies.“, he said in Cannes.
