This sentence that haunts Frédéric Lopez in front of his guests in A Sunday in the Country

Frédéric Lopez, former presenter of Meet in unknown landis now in charge ofA Sunday in the countryside on France 2. While he is preparing an exceptional number to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his former show in 2025, he continues to explore human journeys.

Frédéric Lopez, former emblematic presenter of Meet in unknown landsoon returns to the forefront with a special edition of the program to celebrate its 20th anniversary. If Raphaël de Casabianca succeeded him in 2018, the latter recently announced his departure. The succession is now ensured by Laury Thilleman, Miss France 2011 and host, chosen by Frédéric Lopez himself. The facilitator, for his part, devotes himself fully to A Sunday in the countryside on France 2. This program, in an intimate format, brings together three guests from different backgrounds every week to share their secrets. Recorded in an isolated house surrounded by nature, the conversations allow guests to talk about their journeys. This week, Nora Hamzawi, Calogero and Valérie Perrin will share their stories in the new issue released on December 22.

A Sunday in the countryside : Frédéric Lopez explains the importance of emotions in his show

For Frédéric Lopez, challenges and how to overcome them are a common thread in his shows: “All my guests talk about the obstacles they had to overcome to get where they are. They are resilient. As we all are“, he explains in the columns of Psychologies Magazine published this Wednesday, December 18. The host confides that this quest for meaning is essential: “My job requires a lot of time, energy, and sometimes even some sacrifices, so I need to find meaning in it.” It is with this approach that he conducts his broadcasts: “I have the privilege of speaking to millions of people and, for me, it is very important that they come away from my shows with a little more confidence in themselves and in life..” He says that a quote from the poet Christian Bobin particularly inspires him: “'When you look into someone's eyes, never forget that this person has been through hell many times before.' This sentence lives in me, every second of my life.”

Frédéric Lopez (A Sunday in the countryside) looks back on his difficult childhood and his relationship with his father

Frédéric Lopez thinks that this sensitivity undoubtedly comes from his own experiences. The host grew up in a family that he describes as “dysfunctional” : “I didn't like the first fifteen years of my life, he recalled. With an authoritarian father, sometimes denigrating, sometimes brutal. I grew up in fear until I was 15.” Upon learning that his father had himself suffered in his childhood, the host gradually forgave him: “He became a father without any other reference and he reproduced what he had suffered. It's because I understood him that I was able to forgive him.”