A key figure in the French audiovisual landscape, Mireille Dumas has left her mark on the history of television. Down with the masks, Life in the right place, Private life public life, Signed Mireille Dumas… the shows she produced and presented allowed countless stars or anonymous people to testify, to come and tell their stories and often, the debates they sparked have made progress in society on complicated issues. Although she left the air 10 years ago, the journalist, who has just celebrated his 71st birthday is anything but inactive. She continues to make documentaries and launched a YouTube channel a year ago*. She has just given a long interview to Purepeople and after talking about her new activities, she confided in us about her life when the cameras were turned off, telling us about her hobbies, her house in Corsica and Dominique, the man who has shared her life for fifty years!
Part 2: Mireille Dumas, the love of her life, the children, her refuge in Corsica, her hobbies
Outside of work, what do you do in your free time?
I work! I’m hardly joking because I don’t consider it a job but a passion. Otherwise, I read, listen to music, do a bit of sport, especially swimming. I love swimming in the sea. I often go alone, much to the dismay of my loved ones who worry because I really move away from the shore without any signage. But it is a moment when I feel completely free and serene, as if weightless.
You have a house in Corsica, don’t you?
Yes, it is a house that we have had since the 90s, built on an old sheepfold surrounded by mountains and with a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Porto. It is a magical place, both majestic and wild. There is something violent in this landscape with the pink granite mountains plunging into the sea and paradoxically it is very soothing and conducive to contemplation. This is perhaps the unique charm of this island. We have an orchard, a vegetable garden and beehives that Dominique installed. It is a real refuge and place of renewal where I now come all summer.
You often talk about your husband, but you apparently don’t want to call him “your husband.” Why?
I have always had trouble with possessives and the terms “husband” or “wife”, I find it too formal and I don’t like this bond of belonging. I prefer to say “travel companion”. It’s been now 50 years that we are togetherI dare not believe it when I tell you this and I add “all-terrain traveling companion”!
In 50 years, how have you kept the flame alive?
We lived together at first, then we had separate apartmentsand now it’s been 20 years since we’ve been living under the same roof again. The most important thing has been to adapt to each stage of our lives.
In an interview you mentioned “spaces of freedom” between you. Does this mean that you are an open couple?
Not a free couple in the sense that you mean it, but free in our relationship. We are both attached to our independence. When I spoke of spaces of freedom, I spoke of the need to each have their own personal space, I’m not necessarily talking about sexual freedom..
You seem even-tempered, always smiling. Is this how you are in everyday life?
I think what you perceive above all is that I really live in the present moment, that I savor it. This removes a lot of stress or anxiety, because I neither project myself towards the future, nor dwell on the past, except to seek enlightenment or explanations. I don’t let my personal problems impact my relationships with others.. Let’s say that I prefer to stay in a positive dynamic, especially with the people around me. When I’m in an interview, I’m also totally with the person, anchored in the moment.
Mireille Dumas: “I raised my husband’s son as my son”
Are there things that make you anxious, in your personal life or in the world in general?
Of course, like everyone else, health problems or the disappearance of my loved ones and friends are sources of anxiety. I have no apprehension for myself. I was lucky enough to see my mother age to 100 while retaining all her mental faculties. This reassured me a lot about advancing age. What worries me is social withdrawal, communitarianism, this tendency to lose the notion of “living together” for which I worked.
How come you didn’t have children?
I did not have a biological child and never felt the need to carry a child. But I raised Antoine, Dominique’s son, as my son. Wanting “one’s” child at all costs is a feeling that is foreign to me. For me, the bonds of the heart are worth as much as the bonds of blood which are often the source of conflicts. And then, I have a lot of children around me.
*For a year, Mireille Dumas has opened this YouTube channel, INA Mireille Dumaswhich allows you to rediscover the best moments of your career as well as many new features.
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