Public: We discover you muse of WW. Did you need a little diet?
Chris Marks: It all started with a comment I received last year on Insta. A user had captured me by writing: “Ah, little Marques has eaten well recently!” I reposted, laughing: “WW, I’m ready for you!” And they contacted me offering me a hand. It went from there!
“My fibromyalgia overwhelmed me with fatigue!”
Are you very greedy?
With us, we love to eat, share a friendly moment. This is why diets have never worked for me. I tried everything though! The type to try one diet a day for years… (Laughs.) The difference with WW is that we’re rebalancing food: we teach you how to eat again, but without depriving yourself. In one year, I lost twelve kilos. But the method does not push to be riveted on its weight. She is interested in other pillars, such as psychological well-being, sport, sleep. I feel much healthier.
Energy is essential for you who have fibromyalgia… Have you been through moments of exhaustion?
Yes. This is not normal fatigue: it brings you down. In the morning, I had to choose between having a coffee or a shower. And that was it for the day! It lasted a little over ten years, from when I was 20 to when I was 31. I consider myself cured, but I kept consequences that I am starting to reduce with WW: by changing my eating habits and playing sports, my energy has increased tenfold. It is a revenge on life.
Can you see yourself doing Stars Naked as a contestant now?
(Laughs.) No, I’m good as a coach. Yet, God knows, I’m suddenly proud of my body!
Boy, did you have weight problems?
No None. At 18, I weighed 52 kilos. Fibromyalgia changed something and I started stocking up.
You say you were bullied at school…
I was the little Portuguese, and older children laughed. Especially since I was ultra shy, very calm. It stuck with me, by the way: I’m a very homebody. Parisian parties are not my delirium. Fortunately, at home, my childhood was very happy. We weren’t rolling in gold, but my parents are really fun.
Was dancing a way to ease your shyness?
At first, it was a coincidence. When I was 12, I started to take an interest in girls and I thought there would be a lot of them in dance classes. Except I had a revelation. It’s as if something had unlocked in me. The shyness flew away.
And on the flirting side, did it pay off?
Yes. It was also through dancing that I met my wife when I was 19.
On social networks, many are surprised that you are not gay!
Yes. And people say that like it’s an insult! I don’t have to be offended, should I still specify that I am very straight. (Laughs.)
“At 18, I slept on the street”
Five years ago you and Jaclyn had a son, Jackson. Are you as strict with him as with a candidate from Dals?
Let’s say I’m pretty bad with discipline. It is with rules that children learn who they are.
Would you like a second one?
Sure, but we were so lucky to get this one! He is so awesome. He has a real talent for stand-up: we are full of laughter from morning to night with him.
And for dancing?
He is not learning at all. On the other hand, if he hears music, if there is a dance scene, he copies. He has a great sense of rhythm.
Going to England to be a dancer there, you struggled a lot. What memory do you keep?
Strangely, when I look back, it’s still good times. I had the ardor of my 18 years, that of chasing after my dreams. I accumulated jobs, for example cleaning the toilets of a fast food restaurant. But it’s true that in the first eight months of my life in England, I sometimes slept rough. Not every night, but sometimes. The insecurity is physical at such times. You are afraid of what may happen. Now that I earn a good living, the real luxury is being able to shelter my family. It’s not having money that drives me, but being safe.
It also allows you to buy new jackets!
(Laughs.) It’s true that I have two full rooms! With quite a few that are importable… I have one in particular that is absolutely filthy, but which makes me delirious: it has 3D butterflies and LEDs that change colors. It hurts my eyes so much! I remember the evening when I landed on the plateau of Dals carrying it, there was a crazy silence: the six hundred people in the public remained speechless. Some jackets also find a second life in charity auctions: it always pleases me that they can bring in thousands of euros!
Who would be THE star you would like to see in Dals?
The one I would dream of bringing would be Vincent Cassel. He really is a character. Besides, I know he has crazy dancing skills.
Key dates
1. June 16, 1978
Chris Marques was born in Colmar. His mother, Spanish, transmitted to him the taste of flamenco. As for his father, Portuguese, he sings in a group on weekends.
2. 1997
During a dance competition, he meets the British Jaclyn Spencer, world champion in standard dance. In 2016, they had a son, Jackson.
3. February 2011
The French public discovers him as a formidable juror of Dals. For years, he was the choreographer of the English version of the program.
4. February 2022
The dancer is now the face of WW (ex-Weight Watchers). A method he has been applying for a year, and which has made him lose twelve kilos.
See also: Jenifer, Karine Ferri, Chris Marques … the salaries of TV stars revealed!
Interview by Maëlle Brun Public