“I am very happy and very excited“, rejoices this Monday on franceinfo the journalist Marie-Sophie Lacarrau who finds the television news of 1 p.m. on TF1 after 5 months of absence. The presenter, who had replaced Jean-Pierre Pernaut, was the victim of “a severe and rare eye infection” while she wore contact lenses. Sunglasses permanently and curtains closed for two months were her daily life: “We let time slip away, we learn to be bored. We do not have a choice“, she explained.
How do you feel ?
It feels so good to get back to a normal life, to get back to your job, your colleagues, your office and the viewers. Indeed, since this morning, I am with the team of 13 hours, with the drafting, with the correspondents in area. And then, we are in the process of building this newspaper. I’m very happy, very happy and very excited right now.
You have contracted an eye infection that at first caused you a lot of pain, but also left you in the dark. Tell us what happened.
It was a complicated time with a severe and rare eye infection. There are less than 100 cases per year in France. It’s really bad luck. What I want today is to pass on this message of prevention for what had happened to me does not happen to others. There are really essential precautions to take with these lenses. Either they are not given to us, or they are also forgotten for years. Contact lenses plus tap water, you should never do that. Obviously, putting these contact lenses in water, we know that, but I still heard people tell me that they did. A simple shower can be devastating.
Five months after her last television, Marie-Sophie Lacarrau will return to the 1 p.m. set of TF1: “I had a severe and rare eye infection, there are only a hundred cases a year in France ” pic.twitter.com/FHdsJ8Qpm5
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) May 16, 2022
What was your daily life like?
For two months, my eye could no longer bear the light. So sunglasses outside, of course, although I didn’t go out at all, but sunglasses inside too and curtains closed. We let time slip away, we learn to be bored. We do not have a choice. It’s like that. You just have to heal yourself, let the treatments work and therefore focus on your recovery. Point. And finally, we realize that the days actually pass without anything being done. But anyway, we couldn’t do anything. I am not the only one in this case. I do not want my speeches to be interpreted as navel-gazing. Other people suffer from much more difficult illnesses than the one I had. So it’s just a message of optimism that I want to convey today.
Have you received a lot of messages from colleagues, viewers?
Yes, a lot.
Did it give you strength?
Yes of course. At first, of course, I didn’t see them. But when I discovered all these marks of affection and support that were coming to me from colleagues, from my management, which has always supported me. Thierry Thuillier and Gilles Pélisson always sent me messages of great benevolence. When you have your employer telling you:We’re waiting for you. Take your time, take care of yourself, we are waiting for you and we are getting organized“. It helps to be calm. I obviously had the support of my family, my friends and the viewers. So many messages from viewers. It is also for them that I am speaking today, because many They actually asked what could have happened to me that caused me to be absent from 1 p.m. for so long, and also, suddenly. It was brutal. A forced stop.
Marie-Sophie Lacarrau recounts her recovery on franceinfo: “We let time slip away and we learn to be bored. I just want to send a message of optimism today” pic.twitter.com/NMbXmm4Op5
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) May 16, 2022
A certain press mentioned your eviction from 1 p.m. to explain your absence. Were you afraid of losing your spot on the news?
No, never! I had Thierry Thuillier and Gilles Pélisson on the phone very, very, very regularly. He called me very often to check on me. So no, at no time was I scared. But sometimes it was actually friends or members of my family who called me saying: “But are you sure it’s okay? There is no problem?“They had come across these articles that said absolutely nonsense.
Since your absence, we have had Ukraine, the presidential election. Is it frustrating when you’re a journalist not to be able to do your job during such strong news?
Yes, obviously, when you’re a journalist, you want to cover the news, you want to convey it, you want to give it to viewers. I was actually absent during a period when there were these very, very big news. Again, I couldn’t. It was beyond my strength, it was impossible. So we take it upon ourselves. But I can tell you that I really want to catch up.