“What if I die?”

VIDEO – War reporter Dorothée Olliéric talks about the guilt of going to countries at war when she has children, in A Sunday in the countrysidethis January 26, 2025. Upset, she cannot hold back her tears.

Invited in A Sunday in the countryside this January 26, 2025, war reporter Dorothée Olliéric speaks about her work Mom is going to warpublished on September 4. She talks about the guilt of going to countries at war, of risking her life for her work, while she has children waiting for her at home. On France 2, she returns in more detail to this guilt, which only appeared when she became a mother. “Before children, nothing, not even fear. Fear of nothing, fear of no one”she insists. But since then, the guilt is « permanente » et « intense ». Now, every time she has to leave, she feels “a kind of lump in the stomach, in the heart”.

When she prepares her suitcase, takes care of the logistics, her visa, the day before, these are “the most difficult times” for Dorothée Olliéric. She then remembers the first time she left, when her “son was two and a half months old” and that she had just finished her maternity leave. “I’m going to Afghanistan”she explains. Then she says: “And there, I take the baby in my arms and I look him in the eyes and I say to him: “Mommy loves you”” and his voice breaks. The war reporter cannot hold back her tears, but resumes her sentence: “Because I'm like, 'What if I don't come back.' » This emotion is all the stronger as “It’s the first time I’ve said it to myself like that. » This guilt never left her. Dorothée Olliéric confides: “And I still tell them today. Because every time, every time we leave, we say to ourselves: “What if I don’t come back? What if I die?” So this is the most difficult moment. »

« It’s a profession of passion! », why Dorothée Olliéric continues to leave

But the presenter of the show Frédéric Lopez wonders if the fear of dying and leaving one's children is so great, why Dorothée Olliéric leaves anyway. The war reporter's response is unequivocal. “It’s a profession of passion, it’s a visceral desire, it’s a compelling need”she admits. More than a simple trip for work, than a simple desire, she “need to be where it’s happening, where history is being written, where history is in progress”. Furthermore, on the ground, she explains that “all feelings are heightened, but 200%”. Before concluding: “You feel and fill yourself with extremely positive things because you meet people who amaze you on the pitch. »

Article written with the collaboration of 6Médias.