Bernadette, a film directed by Léa Domenach, traces the life of Bernadette Chirac. Released in theaters on October 4, 2023, this feature film tells the journey of the former First Lady, played by Catherine Deneuve, from the moment her husband, Jacques Chirac, ascended to the supreme office at the Élysée. On the occasion of this event, Roselyne Bachelot was invited alongside Alain Duhamel on BFMTV, Tuesday October 3, 2023, to discuss the role of First Ladies in France. True to his temperament, the former Minister of Culture did not hold back and delivered some juicy anecdotes about the character of Bernadette Chirac. Roselyne Bachelot notably mentioned her penchant for cynicism when it comes to repartee. “She had a way of throwing jokes that was absolutely cruel. When she had someone in her sights… Villepin for example”, she revealed. Drawing on her experience as spokesperson for Jacques Chirac during his campaign in 2002, the former columnist for Laurence Ferrari admitted to having also been targeted by Bernadette Chirac.“She had a trick, that is to say, when she wanted to make someone feel her disgrace, I was the victim at that moment, she was extremely kind to someone who couldn’t believe her good fortune.”she explained.
Roselyne Bachelot: “We saw in Bernadette Chirac the chrysalis become a butterfly”
Roselyne Bachelot subsequently spoke about an anecdote that has remained fondly in her memory. While she was showing the Chirac couple around the office, she asked her interlocutor a slightly awkward question to start the conversation. “Do you know the tenth arrondissement very well, Madam?” launched Roselyne Bachelot. “You too, Madam, have you forgotten that my husband was mayor of Paris? One thing you will learn is that if he was, it was only because of me.”replied the person concerned. “We saw in Bernadette Chirac the chrysalis become a butterfly. At the start of Jacques Chirac’s seven-year term, she was in a very classic role of mistress of the house. And then little by little, faced with the exclusion to which she was subject, she decided to take the reins, to play politics, and to be elected general councilor in Corrèze. raised Roselyne Bachelot. “It’s something original, she’s the only wife of a President of the Republic who had a mandate,” she concluded.