“I have a special relationship with my crown… which hurts me so much!” »

She, who used to attend elections all over France in recent years, will for the first time follow the crowning of Miss France 2025 from home, in front of her TV. Thirteen years after winning the Miss France 2012 sash, Delphine Wespiser continues to closely follow the evolution of the competition. Encounter.

The election of Miss France 2025 will be held this December 14 at Futuroscope. Do you plan to follow her?
Yes from home, with my family and friends. This is the first time I'm not going there because I have a signing session. [au centre commercial Aushopping Illkirch, près de Strasbourg, NDLR]. It's interesting to follow the election remotely in front of your screen. We can all the more appreciate all the work put into production on this magnificent show. As I have been working in the audiovisual industry for thirteen years, I am particularly sensitive to it.

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Have you followed the changes within the Miss France company, in particular the opening of the regulations with the lifting of the age limit? The last remaining criterion being to be at least 1.70 meters…
I would have even removed the minimum size. There are some gorgeous girls who are less than 1.70 meters tall! I would have either left it as is or completely open.

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In recent years, the profiles of candidates have evolved. The young women are sometimes older, more professions are represented… How do you view these more diverse classes?
It goes with the evolution of women. Today's children grow up faster, teenagers become women much earlier than us and young girls know social networks, they know how to do makeup, they know how to talk. I have the impression that shy people no longer exist in this era of overcommunication… But perhaps that allows the new Miss France to better appreciate her title and to better understand the opportunities after her year. And it's a good thing to have older daughters who have time to pursue higher education.

This year's oldest candidate is 34 years old. Would you have liked to apply today, at 32?
Such ! I would have loved it. I would have been more comfortable and perhaps made the most of my year.

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What memory do you have of the evening of your election, this December 3, 2011 in Brest?
I remember the opening scene and the very first choreography very well. We all had a cape and the hood covered our eyes. I had the impression of hearing my neighbor's heart. And then the historical jingle starts and I say to myself, “My little one, there you are”. That was the most impressive moment. Afterwards, the adrenaline takes over and the evening passes in the blink of an eye. Then, when I heard my name and won, I thought of all the people who had gathered in my village, where my brother had organized a party. Even the firefighters were there. I saw the videos afterwards and when I won, everyone screamed at the same time. It turned into a firefighters' ball, it was worthy of the 98 World Cup!

You are the last Miss France crowned by Alain Delon, president of the historical jury. Did you stay close?
We did a film festival in Poland together. He also loved animals with all his heart, so we found ourselves on that. He was someone who had a big mouth, who said what he thought, in the way he wanted, so we found ourselves on that. He had a fire in him… He was someone I understood. But it was difficult to stay in touch at the time, I was only 20 and still very shy. It's one of my regrets.

What is the strongest memory of your reigning year?
My return home, to my village. There were all the people I had known since I was little, a big marquee had been set up in the courtyard of my school, where I played as a child. My school teacher was there too, his eyes wide when he saw me come back in a princess dress with a crown on my head. It was overwhelming.

Being a Miss France is not enough, you have to have a career afterwards

Delphine Wespiser

This view of your loved ones and the public that changes from one day to the next. How did you experience it?
We go from young girl to public figure with all that that entails. We realize that our life belongs to us as much as it does to others, that people can pass judgment on you and that's normal, that they can love you unconditionally, and that's normal. Some people wait in line for hours for a word, a gesture or to take a photo with you, and that's normal.

This status of Miss France for life, even after your year of reign. How did you cope with it?
From the moment the crown is placed on our heads, new responsibilities arrive. We cannot do anything, or we must take responsibility for it and be held accountable. Miss France is an example for young girls, she makes parents and grandparents dream… And being a reigning Miss France is not enough, you have to have a career afterwards. As soon as we return the crown, we are asked: what now? All the careers of Miss France will be compared and we are never left alone.

However, you have managed to emancipate yourself from your status as a former Miss…
I have this work bulimia and I'm hyperactive so I've done a series of projects on television, then in real estate, animal rights, and now in comedy… I have a hard head and very strong convictions so I managed to emancipate myself very quickly. I was defending animals even before it was fashionable, even within the Miss France committee where we continued to wear fur and eat foie gras. Having red hair too was a form of freedom when it wasn't very “Miss France”. I wanted people to like me, or not like me, for who I really was.

You asserted yourself after your year of reign, but was it more complicated for you to do so during?
I tried, but there was always someone telling me to be careful what I said.

When you handed over your crown, did you regret anything?
I returned my crown just as I was starting to enjoy it. I was very shy, quite introverted by nature, so I didn't live my year to the fullest. And it was when I began to open up, to understand the workings, to be more comfortable with Parisian life, that I had to leave. For me, Miss France should have lasted a year and a half, to have time to go through my adaptation phase.

Thirteen years have passed. Does all this seem far away or not so far away?
It's not easy to answer. We are reminded all the time that we are Miss France so it doesn't seem that long ago. And at the same time I have done so many things since then, I have evolved and grown so much… I am no longer the same person.

My crown is very high, very heavy, so I always have a tear in my eye.

Delphine Wespiser

When people stop you in the street, they call you Miss France, White or Red, the characters you play in the show “Fort Boyard”?
White ! And not necessarily Red, poor thing (laughs). So I have several personalities, it’s funny.

What did you do with your crown?
She's at my house! In a safe place, in its box with my scarf. After my year, I had the opportunity to take it out again when I participated in Miss galas but it's been a long time now since I took it out. I'm actually planning to go open the box to check that it's really there. I have a pretty special relationship with my crown, I have a lot of respect for her and at the same time we are so close. We don't know who owes the other. She's mine, but she's an entity in her own right. I always get emotional when I put it back on, especially since it hurts a lot! It's very tall, very heavy, so I always get a tear in my eye when I put it back on. It looks like Saint Nicholas’ miter (laughs).

There are regular meetings of former Miss France, but you only take part from time to time. Is it by choice?
Because I work a lot and the dates don't always match. And then I live between Paris and Alsace. But when I'm available, I go. I have already planned to participate in the first lunch with the new Miss France just after her election.

What relationships do you have with the other former Miss France?
We are all different but we have all experienced the same thing. We have the same problem with these young women who have grown up too quickly, and who find themselves at 25, 30, 35 years old with sometimes certain deficiencies. We are all in this race for projects. We wonder a lot about this transition between the life before and the life after. We are the only ones who can truly understand each other.

What is the best advice you could give to the Miss France who will be elected on December 14?
May she stay herself and enjoy her year! A year goes by quickly.