Thomas Pesquet takes off. The French astronaut, who returned to Earth in November after several months aboard the International Space Station, will not be returning to space immediately. It is in the ranking of the favorite personalities of the French, carried out by Ifop for the JDD and revealed Sunday, December 26, that the polyglot of 43 years took off. While he was 11e last year, it just jumped nine places to reach the 2e rank of this top 50, just behind the unbeatable Jean-Jacques Goldman.
With this dazzling progression, Thomas Pesquet overtook actor Omar Sy, who won a place but remained on the podium. The astronaut is tied with Marion Cotillard, who has gained three places since last year.
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Since 2019, this ranking of the favorite personalities of the French has been equal. Respondents are asked to choose their favorite 25 male celebrities and 25 female celebrities each year. On the women’s side, Sophie Marceau takes the lead for the third year in a row.
Thomas Pesquet, “the adventurer-explorer who makes you dream”
This year, Thomas Pesquet, who enjoys growing popularity thanks to his two missions aboard the ISS, was therefore highly acclaimed. He does not have the same type of notoriety as a singer, like Florent Pagny (who is also 7e of the top 50), or an athlete, such as Teddy Riner (8e, the same place as last year). This recognition comes from elsewhere.
“It is the adventurer-explorer who inspires dreams, like Commander Cousteau or the volcanologist Haroun Tazieff before him”, explained Frédéric Dabi, Director General of Ifop, to the JDD. “He also embodies France, which is doing well, which thinks big; Pesquet is our best anti-decline weapon. “