No way for her to pretend. Invited to the tribute that was paid to Geneviève de Fontenay the evening of the Miss France 2024 election, which took place in Dijon on Saturday December 16, Sophie Thalmann preferred decline the invitation. In question ? His “special reports“with the lady in the hat. “In recent years, I had a somewhat special relationship with Madame de Fontenay, unfortunately“, confides Miss France 1998 to the Republican East. And the latter added: “Over the years, we lost sight of each other, we had complicated relationships all this time.” In 2016, she already mentioned these tensions with Geneviève de Fontenay nearby Parisian : “With her, it’s I love you neither. She had fits of anger and very strong ideas. If we didn’t go his way, things went badly. She had hurtful words, even when you came back to her… She cried“, she said at the time.
If she distanced herself from the former boss of the Miss, who according to her had “a strong character“, Sophie Thalmann hardly got along with Xavier anymore, the son of Geneviève de Fontenay, then in charge of the Miss France committee. “Since I didn’t get along with his son, that didn’t help. I would not have been in my place for this tribute. I should have done it while she was alive, but once she was gone I wasn’t going to come and act as if nothing had happened. I declined the invitation“, she explains to the regional daily. But then, why has the relationship between Geneviève de Fontenay and Sophie Thalmann deteriorated so much?
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Sophie Thallman: that day when she settled scores with Geneviève de Fontenay
It all starts with a book. In 2001, Sophie Thalmann published What does it feel like to be Miss France: The other side of the tiara, published by Michel Lafon. In this work, she naturally returns to her reign, but also evokes behind the scenes of this great barnum. The same year, Thierry Ardisson received the beauty queen, who came to talk about this news, on his show Everybody talks about it. “What we discover when reading your book is that all your appearances are managed by Mme de Fontenay and her son Xavier, who receive a percentage of what you do“, relates the host. A contract that Sophie Thalmann didn’t really take the time to consult : “Since I was far from imagining that I was going to win, I didn’t really read it (…) I didn’t get a double. So I discovered it after…“, she explains.
On this same set, Miss France suggests that Geneviève de Fontenay leaves him little space. “I receive miles and miles of faxes, non-stop, all the time!“, she reveals with the tip of her lips. “She’s cheating on you a little, that’s what you’re saying“, bounces back Thierry Ardisson, before driving the point home: “You say she’s stingy.” Information confirmed by the interested party: “It’s true thatinstead of paying for a taxi, she preferred that we take the bus. I was complaining a little bit“, recognizes Sophie Thalmann. “The problem is getting your expense reports reimbursed by Xavier de Fontenay“, cowardly, scathing, the man in black.”I’m still waiting…“, retorts her interlocutor. Atmosphere…
Geneviève de Fontenay “pained” by Sophie Thalmann’s revelations
On the same TV set, Geneviève de Fontenay was quick to react to the revelations made by Sophie Thalmann in his book. “I am saddened because first of all, I was very attached to Sophie, because she was Lorraine like me, because I encouraged her (…) And looking for things like that, I took a hit“, confided the former boss of the Miss, to Thierry Ardisson, in 2001. “It’s lamentable because Sophie, I think she owes us everything, if she is where she is, it’s because of this Miss France scarf who opened all the doors to him“, would like to recall Geneviève de Fontenay, who “do not understand” the remonstrances of Sophie Thalmann. More than the lady in the hat, Miss France 1998 also seems to be angry with his son Xavier.
Sophie Thalmann also on bad terms with Xavier de Fontenay
To make matters worse, Sophie Thalmann has in fact great difficulty communicating with Geneviève de Fontenay’s son. “You say he’s a jerk because he leaves you hanging around at the station, waiting for the train all alone on the platform, he doesn’t help us carry your suitcases…“, recalls Thierry Ardisson, still on his show Everybody talks about itin 2001. In order for the two protagonists to explain themselves, the host even invites the son of the lady with the hat on the same set as Sophie Thalmann.
“With Xavier, I didn’t necessarily like what he asked me to do“, admits Miss France 1998, who criticizes Geneviève de Fontenay’s son for his behavior towards her. “I blame him for not being human enough. Already, it was ‘the Thalmann’, ‘the Miss France 1998’, we were really a label“, she laments. And the person concerned defends himself: “What Sophie Thalmann can’t stand is authorityauthority in general (…) When we are miss Francethere are rules“, wants to remind her Xavier de Fontenay, who then believes that this beauty queen, unlike those who preceded her, “despise” his mother. Tensions which naturally did not help the relationship between Sophie Thalmann and Geneviève de Fontenay…
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