And Miss France 2024 is… This Saturday, December 16, during a spectacular ceremony organized at the Zénith in Dijon and broadcast live on TF1, one of the thirty regional Misses will win the coveted title and will succeed Indira Ampiot. A new coronation which will bring back many memories to Diane Leyre. On December 11, 2021, Miss Ile-de-France received the prestigious crown from her predecessor, Amandine Petit. For Gala.frthe one who defended the colors of France at Miss Universe has agreed to come back to this evening which turned her life upside down.
Gala.fr: How did you end up in the Miss France competition?
Diane Leyre: It’s not a little girl’s dream. My cousin participated in the Miss France election in 2020, she was Miss Languedoc-Roussillon. The Ile-de-France committee then spotted my profile via social networks. They contacted me in 2021 to participate in the competition, telling me that I had the right profile. I told them that they had the wrong person, that I was a total tomboy and had never worn heels or makeup. So I hung up. Afterwards, they called me back by pure chance. They told me that there was no typical profile for Miss France and I had to try my luck. As things weren’t going well in my personal life, I told myself that maybe it would save me from this complicated period. I told them that if I entered the competition, I was going to go all the way and that I was going to win. For a month, I took makeup and hairdressing classes to be ready. This participation was a revenge on life so I had to see it through to the end.
Gala.fr: How did your loved ones react to this participation?
Diane Leyre: They were all super surprised! My friends were dying of laughter. They told me I was a fraud because I never wore heels (she laughs). We weren’t at all glittery and in that world. I told them I was going to put my personal touch on it and that I was going to win. I assured them that I was going to keep my personality while learning the Miss France codes. I had never watched a prime in my life! I’m lucky because I’ve had the same friends since I was 3 years old. They support me in all my whims. Same for my parents. My mother was worried. She was afraid that I would face criticism from people and that I would suffer from it. As for my father, he was firmly convinced that I was going to win.
Gala.fr: What state of mind were you in on the evening of Miss France?
Diane Leyre: Serene. I had worked so hard for the crown that for me there was no other option but to win. There was no way she could be for anyone else. It’s also in my mentality. You can’t win something or succeed in a competition by imagining yourself a loser. From the start, I told myself it was the crown or nothing.
Gala.fr: Have you apprehended the famous question of Jean-Pierre Foucault ?
Diane Leyre: That’s the moment I had the biggest thrill on set. I believe a lot in destiny and the lucky star. I told my catwalk teacher and the Ile-de-France Committee that my dream was to have a question about children during the top 5. It’s a subject that touches me and unites people. I understand when people say that children are the future and that their innocence must be protected. And on election night, I hear the question: “What would you say to a child…?” I had a thrill on stage and I told myself I was going to win. It’s fate. I wished for this question, visualized it, and called it. Energies attract each other.
>> PHOTOS – Diane Leyre: the 20 most memorable moments of Miss France 2022
Gala.fr: What is your worst/best memory of election night?
Diane Leyre: My worst memory is in the top 15 when I was called last. This meant that my best friend of the adventure, Miss Midi-Pyrénées, was not with me. Whether we like it or not, when we are called last, we have the impression that we are stealing the place from the other fifteen. And there was a sort of pang in the heart. It was horrible. Even though she loves me, there’s a part of her that’s disgusted. I was so heartbroken because I continued the prime without her. At the same time, it gave me the energy to fight for two. If I won, it was for both Miss Ile-de-France and Miss Midi-Pyrénées. And my best memory is the moment I spoke. I felt liberated. I said to myself: “Finally! You can hear me! We know who I am!” I find it super hard to be just me on stage. I admire people who love to parade and who manage to achieve something. Personally, I don’t have the confidence or the mental strength. Just parading like that is revealing a little too much of my personality. Whereas when I speak, I can draw attention to something else. There, I just feel like people just see the flaws that I can see in the mirror. And so, it makes me uncomfortable and I want it to go away quickly. So the top 15 was this deliverance and my best moment. In addition to the moment when I was crowned Miss France, of course.
Gala.fr: What was your first thought when you were elected?
Diane Leyre: Work pays. I told myself that there was justice. It was revenge on myself. When I started Miss France, I was told that I wasn’t physically up to it. I proved something to myself because I hated and demonized myself for years. This is still the case today… I have a very complicated relationship with myself. I had just dressed some scars. I was on the road to recovery.
Gala.fr: If you had the chance to change something, what would you do?
Diane Leyre: Everyone will expect me to say I don’t slip (she laughs). I still slipped on stage. But, in a pinch, I don’t care. It made me human and it’s part of my story. If I had to change something, I would put my Miss Midi-Pyrénées in the 15 to continue the adventure to the end with her. It’s horrible because during the other half of the prime, I really lost my only girlfriend. By the time I was 15, I no longer spoke to anyone. The jury made a bad decision (she laughs).
Gala.fr: How did your coronation at Miss France turn your life upside down?
Diane Leyre: My coronation was a real revenge against myself. Miss France saved me. I was in such a bad phase in my life where I wasn’t happy. I had lost a lot of weight, I hated myself and I didn’t even look in the mirror anymore. It wasn’t so much the coronation that saved me but the people. Thanks to their love, they created my smile and allowed me to change my outlook. I understood that ultimately the devil is in the details. Ultimately, I didn’t want to feel beautiful. I wanted people to feel beautiful around me. It allowed me to make progress. And professionally, it changed me a lot. Basically, I didn’t know how to speak in public. Today, it is my greatest asset. At the end of my reign, I was voted the greatest speaker, it’s crazy! You should know that I vomited at the end of my oral exams (she laughs). We’ve come a long way! Life is good, you just have to believe in it.
Photo credits: CYRIL MOREAU / BESTIMAGE / Montage Gala.fr