On rare occasions, Laure Manaudou has spoken about her romantic past and the trials she has gone through. This Tuesday, December 10, she returned to a particularly traumatic episode…
Laure Manaudou is one of the first French personalities to suffer what is called “revenge porn”, a morbid revenge consisting of publishing intimate photos on the internet – most often naked – without the consent of the other, after a breakup or disappointment in love.
In the podcast “The Waves” from “Elle” magazine, the swimmer spoke about this episode of her love life, which remained intact in her memory. The facts date back to 2007, in full competition during the European short course swimming championships held in Debrecen in Hungary. Laure Manaudou remembered the moment when the images appeared: “I was training with my big brother, he was my trainer and I remember telling him: 'It's as if I had been raped , I was not asked for my consent, I find myself naked in front of everyone and I have to face it?
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Laure Manaudou during the European short course swimming championships. Day when naked photos of her were published on the internet, December 16, 2007 in Debrecen, Hungary.
Bela Szandelszky/AP/SIPA / © Bela Szandelszky/AP/SIPA
The man who would be behind the publication of these photos is a certain Pierre Henri, her former boyfriend. A particularly toxic relationship: “He blackmailed me. He told me: “If you don't send me a second photo, I'm going to publish this one.” So day after day, I found myself with more and more photos…”
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Laure Manaudou facing Pierre Henri
Stuck in this relationship that had become unhealthy, Laure Manaudou ended up making a decision: “I woke up one morning telling myself that I was not going to spend my life with this guy. So either I choose to leave, leave him and take the risk that these photos will come out one day, or I will be imprisoned all my life with him because he threatens me with releasing these photos. »
When the photos appeared, more than a year after her breakup, Laure Manaudou was in a relationship with Italian swimmer Luca Marin. At that time, the tabloids therefore assumed that the publication of the photos came from the young man, a rumor that the sportswoman never clarified. Ten years ago, during an interview for “Real Life”, she explained this choice: “No, I did not deny it since I think Luca had done me enough harm and unconsciously I wanted him to he is paying for what he did to me. »
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Laure Manaudou and Luca Marin, in Australia for the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, March 31, 2007. They were a couple at the time.
Mark Baker/AP/SIPA / © Mark Baker/AP/SIPA
In her autobiographical book “Entre les lignes” published in 2014 by “J’ai Lu” editions, Laure Manaudou accused Pierre Henri of being at the origin of the publication of the photos: “With Pierre I don’t dare say no . Does he want his photos? I comply. He gives me directions, asks for poses, increasingly daring, from every angle. And like an idiot, I do what he says. »
After the book was published in bookstores, Pierre Henri immediately filed a complaint against his ex-partner. He claimed 500,000 euros in damages for “serious attack on moral integrity”, denying being at the origin of sending the photos without being able to prove it. The verdict has so far never been made public and the swimmer has no longer spoken on the subject.
