“I accepted, on one condition”

This southerner left his family cocoon for a busy Parisian promo day. Between two interviews, Christophe Licata is surprised to discover messages from his friends who already have his book in their hands: Chris Marques, Fauve Hautot… Delighted, and curious to know their opinion, the dancer keeps an eye on his phone.

All the attention in recent days has been focused on his confidences on “the Inès Reg-Natasha St Pier affair”, but he reminds us, this book is above all dedicated to his passion for dance. In “Révélation(s)”, released this January 13 (by Leduc editions), Christophe Licata looks back on his beginnings as a dancer at just 6 years old and of course, his 13 seasons in “Dancing with the Stars”. And if he started writing a confidential book, it’s because he had retired from the show… before being caught up by production. While waiting to know the name of this partner who motivated his unexpected return to the court, Christophe Licata is preparing to perhaps (finally) win his first trophy.

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Why did you choose this catchy title, “Revelation(s)”?
Christopher Licata. It was my idea. I like this word which has several meanings. I have had personal revelations and I am making revelations. I also wanted to tell what people can’t see from the show, the intimate, difficult moments… I tell everything. I needed to let go of everything, without filter. This is how I delivered my diary to the public.

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Did you feel any pressure to speak out after the last season?
Yes, everywhere, especially the media. But I didn’t write this book for that. In it I don’t point the finger at anyone. It speaks above all of my experience as a dancer. It was by concentrating on dance and my choreography that I protected myself from everything that might have happened next.

You talk about this book as a “therapy book”. Did it have the desired effect?
Yes and well beyond my expectations. It was truly therapeutic. It wasn’t just about telling the story, but reliving it all to understand certain things better. I kept asking myself, “Why have I never won?” » In writing this book, I realized that I had won so much more than a trophy. Once finished, I called my partners one by one to thank them. It was while writing that I realized everything they had given me. This is what cured this frustration of being the eternal Poulidor of “Dancing with the Stars”.

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Rossy de Palma, Nâdiya, Amel Bent, Laëtitia Milot, Ophélie Winter, Nathalie Péchalat, Sylvie Tellier, Priscilla, Tatiana Silva, Linda Hardy, Dita von Teese, Inès Reg… Which of your partners has helped you progress the most as a coach ?
There was a before/after Amel Bent. She offered me the spirit with her creativity and her desire to perpetually renew herself. It also allowed me to understand how to adapt my teaching to each partner, according to their character and their profession. Today, I can be entrusted with any partner, I feel capable of taking up the challenge.

In your book, you talk about this bond with your partners and the romance rumors that may have resulted from it, like with Amel Bent. Rumors which were not without consequences on your relationship with Coralie…
I have a golden wife, many would have left. I’m lucky to have a wife who dances, so she understands a lot of things. And I knew how to show her that she could trust me. It’s certain that when you don’t dance and you see your husband dancing a rumba with an artist, it’s difficult for the eyes. We must not forget that “Dancing with the Stars” lasts three months. The rest of the year, my partner is Coralie.

Grégoire Lyonnet also occupies an important place in your book. Are you still this close?
Of course, we celebrated New Year’s Day together with Alizée! He is my son’s godfather, I witnessed his wedding, he witnessed mine… With him, I discovered friendship, true friendship. And it’s funny because at the beginning, in competition, he wasn’t my friend (laughs).

Your 7 year old little boy is growing up with two dancing parents, a godfather who runs a dance school… Is he interested in it too?
No not at all ! He’s so surrounded by people dancing and he sees his parents all the time dancing, maybe there’s something in him that… It’s not his thing. We tried but no, he doesn’t like it. He’s having fun rollerblading and as long as he’s doing what he loves, that’s what matters to me. And we talk about dancing so much all the time at home that I’m happy to talk a little roller skating with him.

In your book, it is also about the body and physical fatigue after so many years of dancing… Have you ever wanted to take it easy?
You have to know how to listen to your body and sometimes you have to know how to decelerate, but without stopping. I couldn’t stop dancing, I would die. It’s visceral for me, like breathing (he pauses, moved). Since I was little, dance has been my whole life. This is my refuge.

There are passages in the book that talk about the ups and downs with some of your partners, your fellow dancers in the show… Do you anticipate their reaction?
I might have hesitated to tell all this if I had read the book first. I didn’t let anyone read it, not my parents, not my sisters, not the production or my friend Chris Marques… The only person who reread it was my wife Coralie. I didn’t want to be told, “Maybe you shouldn’t say this or that.” Obviously I fear the reaction of some people but I hope they will take it well. I think I am kind to each of the people mentioned in the book. And if there are things that don’t suit some people, we have strong enough relationships today for them to pick up the phone and talk about it.

You also come back to moments in the show, where you questioned certain song choices in the production…
Several times I thought that music choices weren’t right, but each time, the paintings I made to go with them were a hit. Some were even highlight moments of the show. And when music doesn’t inspire me, I find myself in front of a blank page and ultimately it forces me to progress, to get out of my comfort zone. So now I trust.

Is it true that production sometimes highlights one couple more than another, to possibly influence the outcome of the competition?
No and the public is not fooled. We all have the same tape time, the same dance time… It’s quite sincere what’s happening. Beyond the dance and the technique, some couples have won because they touched the audience and that’s ok, you have to accept it. Like Emmanuel Moire and Fauve Hautot, who moved all of France with a dance and who won, while over the entire season, Amel Bent was better (in season 3 broadcast in 2012). I learned this gradually, having arrived on the show as a young, fiery dancer who comes from competition, with his blinders on. But in the end, it’s the heart that wins.

I told Inès that my only way of helping her in this matter was on the floor.

Christophe Licata

You compare your experience on “DALS” season 13, marked by strong tensions between your partner Inès Reg and Natasha St-Pier, to “school harassment”…
There was this uneasiness that I had already felt at school, something wasn’t working. The atmosphere was tense… And if I felt so alone and abandoned, it’s also a bit my fault because I decided to keep it all a secret to protect those around me. Fortunately I was able to count on the support of Fauve and Chris Marques. And I took refuge in dancing, speaking on the floor, through my choreographies. I put my soul, my guts, everything I couldn’t say.

To protect those around you, you even hid the fact of having been physically attacked in the street… How did they react when they found out afterwards?
When I came home from the show, my wife saw that I wasn’t at my best. I confided everything to him, I could no longer keep it all to myself. She was stunned and blamed me for not talking to her about it….

You, who were so close to Inès, didn’t you want to defend her?
It’s hard to see the person you dance with so sad, it hurts. I wanted to protect her. But I told Inès that my only way of helping her in this story was on the floor, by dancing, because I didn’t know how to do it otherwise. And I didn’t want to take sides, this story didn’t concern me. She touched someone I love very much, I am her friend and I was there for her, but I am also the friend of Anthony (Colette), of Natasha (St-Pier)… My role was to hold Inès’ hand and take her all the way, and that’s what I did.

Can we still talk about the “DALS family”?
Yes, please. That’s exactly what a family is.

Family from whom you were ready to distance yourself, by stopping participating in the show, before you were brought back for season 14…
I called the producers, who I consider my TV parents, to explain to them why I wanted to quit. It was a difficult decision to make, a real loss. And they ended up calling me back and it had the same effect on me as the first times because I wasn’t expecting it. I took the time to think about it and decided to go back, not only for the partner I am going to have, but because I asked to organize my schedule to spend more time with my loved ones during the filming. That was my only condition, I can no longer go three months without seeing my son.

Have you already met this new mystery partner?
Oh no, not yet! I can’t wait to meet her, to create a bond with her. I hope I can make it shine.

Even if you no longer feel this frustration of never having won “DALS”, do you still want to win this year?
I remain a competitor, so I will do everything for it. But my ultimate goal, much more than the trophy, is that my partner remembers this adventure for the rest of her life. I want to put glitter in his life (laughs). I didn’t succeed last year with Inès and that’s what saddens me the most.