In the streets of Quaëdypre, the engine of the English convertible from the 60s heats up while driving at a walking pace, right in the middle of the crowd. Fortunately, everything is planned: crown on the head and scarf over the shoulder, Eve Gilles then changes car, now installed in the back of a white American from the same years, also loaned by a local collector. The parade can continue, culminating in the return, on December 20, of Miss France 2024, newly elected in the small town of Nord-Pas-de-Calais where she grew up, located not far from Dunkirk. Much earlier in the day and having just arrived from Paris, she was preparing, installed in one of the rooms of the town hall, for the first festivities. Following his good advice, a member of his entourage went to get bread and pâté from the local shops. Between two makeup touch-ups, the reigning Miss, with a slim silhouette, devours a nice slice, with her fingertips and a broad smile. The day has only just begun, it promises to be long, he needs to gain some strength. In the next office, the mayor of Quaëdypre, a municipality in Flanders precisely “1,127 inhabitants”, recounts that he had a giant screen installed in the multipurpose room on election night. After the explosion of joy at the final verdict, 200 people celebrated until 3 a.m. Elected since 2014, Jean-Claude Dekeister knows well the Gilles family, settled here for around thirty years. “Eve expresses herself easily in public, he notes. Like his father Bruno, in fact.”
Her parents have not seen their daughter since her coronation on December 16 in Dijon, busy in the middle of Paris running to radio studios and TV sets. “We are knocked out standingexplains his father Bruno, constantly in demand, surrounded by a forest of microphones. It feels like we’re in a whirlwind.” Contemplating his daughter, the professional surveyor adds: “At home, we’re not the type to hug each other all the time, it’s all about looking. And I am very proud of my daughter: she had to dare to participate, then go all the way.” As for Ediththe mother who works in her husband’s office, the words “ Miss France 2024 » now appear on his cell phone when Eve calls him. Originally from Reunion Island, she met her husband when she came to study in mainland France, never to leave. Sometimes, a veil passes over her eyes, as if she realized that her younger sister was going to escape her, for at least a year. “I’m not used to all this exposure, but we’ll have to deal with it“, she almost apologizes, a little overwhelmed by events. Aged 20, Miss France 2024 seems not to be fooled. While he writes endless posts about her account because of her size and her short hairstyle, she retorts, a little tired of broaching the subject: “I am not responding to these comments, that would only add fuel to the fire. Every year, Miss France is criticized no matter what, so I expected it, I was prepared for it.” She also assures that she wants to complete her mathematics degree she started in Lille, “next year, or later.”
“I’m not used to all this exposure, but we’ll have to deal with it” Edith, Eve Gilles’ mother
The convoy will soon leave, the municipality has mobilized around ten gendarmes for the occasion, expecting a large turnout. She wasn’t wrong. At the Taverne du Westhoek, located opposite the Saint-Omer church listed as a historic monument, the owner of the red brick estaminet regrets not having provided more food. “Fortunately, there is no shortage of coffee!”, she consoles herself. While the crowd – at least double the number of inhabitants of the village – rushes into the streets around the car where the beauty queen sits, a lady wonders in the din of the fanfares who is this tall dark-haired girl in a coat. red, next to the driver, then gets a little confused: “Oh yes! It’s Sylvie Fabe!” Almost! It is in fact Cindy FabreMiss France 2005 who succeeded Sylvie Tellier as general director of the competition last year. Producer of the show and recently president of the Miss France company, Frédéric Gilbert laughs at this confusion and says: “The city of Lille offered us to host the event, but we declined the invitation. Eve is from here, she wanted to do it here, she had to do it at home.” After a show by the dance school she attended under the neon lights of the multipurpose room, it’s time for fireworks in the rain, then, for Miss France 2024, to go home no far from there, with his parents. On the walls of the entrance to the house, photos of her as a dancer, or on a horse. You have to be careful when opening the door that the cats Heidi – Eve’s – and Rasta do not escape. Her big sisters are not there: Lisa, the eldest, 30 years old, was retained by her work in Belgium, Lucie, 26 years old, lives in Reunion. “I don’t think I’m the most beautiful woman in France, but I have the crown on my head.”, assures the reigning Miss. During the holidays, she will stay there, warm, with her family. As she leaves to catch the last train to Paris, her companions give her some final instructions: “You avoid walking alone, you also avoid crowded places like shopping centers.” Eve Gilles agrees, her mother too. They know that they will be peaceful, but only for a while. The festivities are only just beginning…
This article could be found in Gala N°1594, available on newsstands on December 28. The new issue of Gala comes out this Thursday, January 4, 2024. Enjoy reading.
Photo credits: Claude Dubourg / Bestimage