In a few minutes, Eve Gilles must take an internal Ivorian flight with some of the 30 contenders for the title of Miss France who are in the middle of a preparatory stay in Abidjan. But as she joins us, in a long midnight blue dress and wedge sandals, she is stopped in the lobby of the Sofitel hotel by… Basile Boli. Passing through his hometown, the former OM star footballer absolutely wants to take a selfie with Miss France 2024. Always remain smiling and available while keeping a tight schedule, juggling between planes, photos, interviews: a real condensed from this life which has been that of the Northerner for eleven months and which she will have to leave to someone else… without a pang of conscience, she swears.
GALA : A year ago, you were experiencing in Guyana what the 30 candidates you are supporting today are experiencing in Ivory Coast. What state of mind are we in at the time of this preparatory trip to the Miss France election?
EVE GILLES : We have doubts about ourselves, about how others see us, about what we post on social networks. And on the very fact of becoming Miss France. We were elected Miss Regional, we carry the hopes of a region as best we can but as we begin to see the role of Miss France, the responsibility, we wonder if it is really made for us.
GALA : And the reigning Miss France is there to reassure them?
EG : To help them as best as possible, give them advice because we've been there. It’s a role of “godmother” which, casually, is new for me too.
GALA : Your reigning year is almost coming to an end. What are your strongest memories?
EG : My return to Nord-Pas-de-Calais, at home, and in Reunion, where my sister, cousins and my maternal grandparents live. Especially since it was the moment of the passing of the flame on the island, it was very moving. Being able to carry this Olympic flame, passing it on to Dany Boon so that he could light the cauldron was also an exceptional moment. I did my first Cannes Film Festival, my first Fort Boyard, my first parachute jump.
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GALA : And your most memorable encounters?
EG : My childhood idols like Shy'm, at the Stéphane Rolland fashion show. She was my favorite singer when I was little. I will also remember my meeting with the legendary jurors and the dancers of Dancing with the stars when I went to discover behind the scenes of this universe that I have always loved.
GALA : You revealed a few weeks ago that you have suffered from paroxysmal dyskinesia since childhood. [une maladie neurologique qui se caractérise par des mouvements incontrôlés de la face ou des membres, ndlr]. Why not talk about it as soon as you were elected?
EG : I knew from the start that I was going to talk about it at the end of the year. I didn't want to do it earlier because, when you're Miss France, people already give you labels. Remember that excitement around my short hair? I didn't want my illness to be another label. But I wanted to talk about it at some point during my year as Miss France for other victims of this invisible illness. To give them hope. I, despite this illness, managed to realize this dream, so they can also realize theirs.
GALA : Where is this problem with you?
EG : I can manage it. But in fact, I've been doing it since I was little, it's part of my daily life. And I am well supported, often by those close to me who are in the know. In short, I'm doing very well, and I'm living very well with it.
GALA : What have you learned about yourself during this year?
EG : Miss France made me mature. We meet so many people, we experience so many powerful things in such a short time that I feel like I gained ten years of life in one year. I gained confidence in myself and learned to be patient. When you are Miss France, there are long waits, in transport, before the photoshoots. And if we do a signing session that lasts three hours, you have to keep the same energy throughout, for the person who will arrive at the end and will only face you for a few moments which must be unforgettable.
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GALA : A year ago, the day after your election, you assured me that after Miss France, you would resume your mathematics studies with the aim of becoming a statistician. Is it still relevant?
EG : Yes, I was in the 2nd year of my degree. I'm just going to do a year of updating my knowledge. I then hope to go on to Miss Universe. And depending on whether I win or not, I will resume my studies immediately or a year later.
GALA : It seems that you still want television…
EG : It is not incompatible. Once I obtain my diploma, I would like to popularize the language of mathematics on TV, in particular to attract more women into the scientific field. We're missing it.
GALA : On December 14, one of the 30 young women present with us in Abidjan will become Miss France 2025. Will you feel a pang in your heart when you put her crown on her?
EG : No, I'm very proud of my year, I don't see how I could have done more. It was my place but, today, I am expected elsewhere. I have plans for later and can't wait to make them happen!
GALA : What will you do from December 15 that you haven't been able to do for a year?
EG : Sleep ! More seriously, I'm going to take some time for myself and to really be able to move into my new home. I'm going to rest and reunite with my loved ones for the holidays.
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