Invited on the set of Chez Jordan this Monday, April 3, Jean-Pierre Descombes confided in his state of health. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, the former host of the 8 p.m. Games notably returned to the reproaches that his wife had made to him when he was very weak.
For nearly a decade, he delighted viewers of France 3. From 1976 to 1987, Jean-Pierre Descombes co-hosted with Maitre Capello the mythical program Les Jeux de 20 heures. But for a few years, he left the small screen, weakened by Parkinson’s disease. “I’ve been hiding this illness for 10 years. I’ve been playing a Majax for 10 years, trying not to show it, he confided in 2021. Unfortunately, this Parkinson’s is tough. No matter how much I fight against him, sometimes he wins. And I find that when I rewatch the shows, it shows a lot because I tend to fidget, tend to get a little pissed off.” But this Monday, April 3, Jean-Pierre Descombes reappeared during an interview with Jordan De Luxe on C8.
And during the interview, the host made sad confidences about his state of health. “For 10 years I tried to hide this problem and then it accelerated every day”, he began, before returning to the day when his illness was revealed to the public, while he was filming La grande rigolade, Cyril Hanouna’s bonus: “It was during the evening I passed last around 1 am and the tablets I had taken had no more effects“.”That’s when it came to light and I couldn’t hide it anymore. When the cameras are there, they can detect a movement that I can hide on a podium or in a big party that I host, but on TV you can’t…“, lamented Jean-Pierre Descombes, who continues despite everything to fight like a lion against the disease. And to add, almost fatalistic: “One day everything is fine, we are the king of the world and then the next day, we don’t know why, we are flat, completely.”
Jean-Pierre Descombes: “the best medicine is in the head”
Faced with the disease, Jean-Pierre Descombes can count on the unfailing support of his wife. “For her it’s not funnywe relax when we are at home, we do not have the spring that we have when we are on a stage”, he explained. However, he revealed that his wife and relatives did not want him to appear on TV in his condition. “It’s not a picture you should show”, they would have thrown at him. Despite this reluctance, Jean-Pierre Descombes was keen to speak publicly about his fight. “You have to be stronger than that, you have to resist. You have to not let it go, there are drugs, but the best medicine is in your head”, he continued, positive. And to conclude:Thanks to my galas, I find myself like a few years ago and this “like” erases for a few minutes, a few hours the appalling Parkinson’s.”