Yanis Marshall speaks “his truth”. In an interview given to Parisian Monday October 9, the choreographer, star teacher of the star Academy, returned to the reasons for his departure from the show. Against all expectations, TF1 announced last week during a press conference that it would not participate in season 2 because of a “calendar issue”.
Anxiety attacks and drunken evenings
Yanis Marshall has a completely different version of the facts: “The production and the channel recorded this at the end of February. (…) I was asked to pretend to have personal projects, under the pretext that the public would not understand that I’m being ousted. But, today, I need to tell my truth. Many have advised me not to do it, but it’s my way of getting better and moving forward,” confides the choreographer At Parisian.
TF1 would have decided to oust Yanis Marshall because of his fragile mental health. He himself admits having had difficulty managing media overexposure: “I was both a teacher and a choreographer, so I left at 7 a.m. to return at midnight. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking that we were filmed me (…) From the third week, I found myself having huge anxiety attacks.” To relieve the pressure, the choreographer parties and takes refuge in alcohol.
A hangover bonus
After several weeks of broadcasting, the dance teacher arrived at the third prime completely hungover: “Everyone was a little worried. I put on Dior glasses and went on set. And, in the end, I did my best bonus. (…) I did the job, even if I was suffering internally,” he assures Parisian. And then there was the point of no return, the day of the NRJ Music Awards. The dancer is then invited to present the prize for French-speaking female artist of the year. “When I got off stage, I downed a bottle of champagne and collapsed in tears. I had the biggest anxiety attack of my life,” he remembers.
After this episode, Yanis Marshall confided in a person from TF1, in whom he thought he could trust. But his confidences reached the ears of the production… The choreographer then began working on himself, with psychological follow-up. “I had refused projects to be ready for the show. But during a second meeting, I was told: ‘It’s not going to do it, TF1 has made its decision’. I was told ‘ You know, you’re not stable,’ and that they couldn’t take the risk of taking me back. I was surprised that they didn’t take me back, because even though I didn’t go to rehab, I “had started work on me”, explains Yanis Marshall who nevertheless considers himself “proud” of his career at the Star Ac’. “I would just have liked to have had more support from TF1. But it was still a great experience, with great people who I will miss… Well, some, no, but that doesn’t matter,” concludes he.