“The French are ready to see people with differences on the air”

The former athlete, who had all four limbs amputated, is realizing his childhood dream by succeeding Cyril Féraud as host of the France 3 game show “Slam”, which is entering its 17th season.

But who will stop Théo Curin? Only he knows his limits. The silver medalist at the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships, the extreme swimmer who crossed Lake Titicaca between Bolivia and Peru in November 2021, with water at 12°C, is taking on a new challenge. From Monday, September 9 at 5:30 p.m., he replaces Cyril Féraud as presenter of one of France 3’s flagship programs, “Slam”. He succeeds him as the program enters its 17th year, with no fewer than a million loyal viewers every day.

“Hosting a game show on TV is a childhood dream“, confides Théo Curin. Model, columnist or even actor, he adds another string to his bow. He explains that he worked a lot before passing the casting: “I watched a lot of shows. I tried to understand the mechanics and then bring my youth, my energy.“, as if he was preparing for the biggest competition of his life. Learning that he was succeeding the iconic presenter was therefore one of the happiest days of his life.

On this first broadcast day, Théo Curin is stressed but remains calm: “I still have confidence because I think there are a lot of viewers who like to play Slam”. Getting people to come and make them stay as long as possible is what he will set about doing, with the secret hope that, little by little, the viewers will become attached to him and his way of hosting the game.

“The goal for me is to live a crazy adventure, all together.”

Theo Curin

to franceinfo

This is the first time that a daily game has been played by a person with a disability. Théo Curin, who had all four limbs amputated after contracting bacterial meningitis at the age of six, is delighted that France Télévisions is opening this door to difference, while calling for his wishes not to be “the last”. For him, French women and men are increasingly “ready to see people with differences on air”on television, in the cinema. He cites as proof that success and media coverage “historical” Paralympic Games. Similarly, the opening ceremony was watched by nearly 10 million viewers: “I don’t know if you realize, it’s completely crazy and it means that people are ready and now it’s up to us to take care of it!“