“This final was supposed to be mine, and it hurts. It was my turn. I really feel like something has been stolen from me. » In a book entitled Revelation(s), 13 seasons, and after?published this Monday by Editions Leduc, Christophe Licata comes out of silence.
A year after the controversy which shook the 13th season of “Dancing with the Stars” on TF1, the dancer delivers his version of the facts in a chapter entitled “The Inès Reg – Natasha St Pier affair”. He returns to the altercation between the comedian – his dance partner – and the singer, as well as the climate of tension he felt until the final where he finished, with bitterness, third.
“There are latent tensions, power games”
Christophe Licata explains that he himself was “upset” by the virulent exchange that took place between Inès Reg and Natasha St-Pier during a rehearsal session. “We are here to dance, to give the best of ourselves, and here we are in the middle of a war of nerves. I then realize that this competition goes well beyond dancing. There are latent tensions, power plays that I had not anticipated this year,” he writes.
According to him, “a real anti-Inès league is forming” after this episode. “So we arrive on the next prime in a very strange atmosphere. No one reacts when we dance. Nobody applauds. It’s silence. We have a feeling that something is wrong. » Furthermore, the dancer repeatedly notes the lack of support from some of his fellow dancers during this period.
He then deplores the excitement of this story after its revelation in the press. “Despite the beauty of our dances, every day is a struggle against adversity and media relentlessness. I thought I signed up to have a good time, to have fun, but I end up crying almost daily,” he reveals.
“A feeling of total insecurity invades me”
Until now, Christophe Licata had not spoken, unlike other protagonists in the story. At the time, Inès Reg delivered her version of the facts on social networks, followed by Natasha St-Pier then her teammate Anthony Colette. “Inès also insists that I speak publicly […] But no, I can’t do it, even if I believe her. I just post a neutral message: “Stop the hate, let’s dance, it’s all love!” », he writes.
After this publication, Christophe Licata claims to have suffered real “relentlessness”. “The calls from journalists come one after the other, up to 80 times a day.” He reveals that he also received hate messages and death threats.
The dancer also reports an attack in the middle of the street suffered during this period. “I am pushed to the ground, my head hits the edge of the sidewalk and all my belongings spill into the street […] Above me, five or six figures stand, they insult me and begin to kick me. In my head, the screams echo endlessly while the blows rain down on my stomach and my ribs, I am paralyzed, totally terrified,” he says.
Saved by passers-by, Christophe Licata returns home and decides not to report this attack to the police. “I don’t want the story to take an even more serious turn. I think it’s all linked to what became “the Reg – St-Pier affair”. I fear this will all get even more out of control. I’m afraid for my family, for my child. A feeling of total insecurity invades me and I am alone in this apartment. From that moment on, going out in public made me anxious, I was wary of everyone. »
“It was my turn”
At the very end of this chapter, the dancer also returns to his partner’s accession to the final of “Dancing with the Stars” and his hopes of winning despite the many tensions behind the scenes. “For me, it’s a win,” he says. There are too many differences in level with the others; the dance will win. The rest doesn’t count, it must be that which triumphs, not rumors or controversies. It must be the dance, a magnificent snub to all the baseness of recent months. »
But the public decides otherwise. “We finish third… and see live Natasha and Anthony experience the victory that should have been ours. Being spectators is truly heartbreaking for both of us,” explains Christophe Licata. He adds: “This final was supposed to be mine, and it hurts. It was my turn. I really feel like something has been stolen from me. There, I became fully aware of the injustice of the situation. If I had been with a dancer who didn’t have the level, I would have accepted it better. But there, with a quasi-professional like Inès, it’s too much. »
Our Dancing with the Stars file
If the dancer hesitated for a long time before continuing the adventure, Christophe Licata will indeed be back in a few weeks on the floor of “Dancing with the Stars”. It now remains to be seen which celebrity will accompany him.
