December 11, 2021 will forever remain a memorable date for Diane Leyre. This is the day she was elected Miss France 2022. The pretty 24-year-old brunette then represented the Île-de-France region and became the ambassador for the whole country. A real honor for this bubbly Parisian who is living a waking dream and who has already gotten used to her duties. For Purepeople.com, she takes stock of her new life!
It’s been more than a month since you were elected Miss France. What does your daily life look like today?
Life has changed and since then it’s been going at 300 an hour, but that’s exactly what I was looking for. It’s full of new times, I’m doing the baptism of many things: my first appearance on the radio, TV, my first shoots in major magazines that my parents have been reading for years. And then, the first encounters with the public with this beautiful Miss France scarf. It’s a lot of pride every day.
Have you got used to this new rhythm?
I always say I’ll sleep when I’m dead. For the moment, I want to take advantage, I live a lot in the present moment and if tomorrow everything stops I want to be sure to have liked it until the last minute. And suddenly I like the fact that I don’t have time to rest that much. I still have weekends, we’re not superhuman but even then, I don’t like to stay in my bed doing nothing. So this life, it totally corresponds to the expectations I had on a daily basis.
Why did you want to become Miss France? What do you hope to gain from this year of reign?
The scene is not what I like the most, I’m not to my advantage, it’s a super difficult exercise. I talk a lot with my hands, it’s a way for me to distract people, so that their gaze is less fixed on me. So I didn’t enter the contest to be on stage but to experience something strong, to become an ambassador, a spokesperson and to be able, in a minute, to change someone’s day. There is a closeness that is born with people right away, I chat a little with them and there is a happiness that emanates from them, it’s communicative, it’s incredible. Just for that, this title is beautiful, it is sacred. It is a huge pride to have the scarf on a daily basis.
Your cousin (Ilana Barry, Miss Languedoc-Roussillon 2020) was a candidate in 2020. How did she react when you announced your desire to participate? Did she give you any advice?
I had told him when registering for the casting of Miss Paris. She was very happy, she believed in it thoroughly. After that I don’t really like advice. I like to go there with my naturalness, it’s make or break, but I didn’t want to listen to what was happening in other adventures, everyone saw it in their own way. And I had the impression that it could change my way of living the adventure or that I would live it less spontaneously. So I hadn’t necessarily asked for advice but she was still fully behind me but also behind her region of Languedoc-Roussillon, of course!
You said you have long been criticized for your physique: “too tall, too thin, crushed face…” How did you overcome that?
I’m lucky to have a hard core. I have friends who are around me that I have known since kindergarten. When you are well surrounded, it is easier to receive criticism. Same, at home, I had extremely loving and caring parents so when you come home and you have this feeling of being loved, you let yourself be little affected by what is happening outside. I think it’s also a question of character. Of course I was touched, I cried, I was sad, but I am a very positive person and I always believe that criticism does not define me. And above all, the opinion of others will not change my life, it’s my life. I’m very happy to welcome people but if they don’t like me, I’m not going to rack my brains. And people who make such criticisms, maybe it’s because something is wrong in their life. Going to shoot someone publicly, it’s so small, do we really have time to waste on them?
You did not hesitate to expose yourself greatly to the media by becoming Miss France. Do you get a lot of criticism today?
Despite this title which means that we are the most beautiful woman in France in 2022 – which for me is extraordinary because there are mornings when I wake up and I do not understand why I am Miss France – I have my faults. The definition of Miss France is strong all the same, it’s hard to bear on a daily basis, it’s quite impressive. Inevitably, there are criticisms on social networks, but it takes some to keep your feet on the ground. You have to know how to step back as much from the critics as from the comments that say that I am the most beautiful because no, I am not the most beautiful. It allows you to have the right balance and so in the end, I accept the criticisms and then anyway you have to let everyone speak freely.
Were you surprised to receive messages from famous personalities such as footballers, you who are a fan of PSG?
No footballer (laughs). There is no flirting, no public figure has come to write to me, whether in a slightly subtle way or not. But there are a lot of Miss France that I haven’t been able to meet yet, like Marine Lorphelin who is in New Caledonia, who write to me to support me, it’s so cute. Other than that, not at all. And it’s very good like that. On the other hand, I was able to meet real people and it was great like Nikos Aliagas, who is a TV legend, or Laurent Ruquier who invited me to The Big Heads. But no approaches on the networks, no.
You have met many Misses. How did they welcome you into their big family? What’s your favorite ?
They welcomed me like the little sister. It was weird because for some we’ve been following them for years. But there’s an accessibility and naturalness to all of them that’s really great. And what we see on the networks and in real life, it does not change. I feel like I’ve been included forever. I really like them all. When we see them in real life, we become attached to each one for a reason. I followed some of them since childhood so for those I have a little crush.
Many Misses later revealed that they had dealt with inappropriate gestures or sexist remarks. Is this your case?
So me, not at all! People are super nice so far. I think there is a lot of respect for my title. But it’s good that it’s been denounced because it must not be easy to know how to react – whether in the face of politicians, audiovisual personalities or even everyday people – or how to respond knowing that we to the scarf and that we have to be careful.
Are you already thinking about the post-Miss? What career would you like to move towards?
I don’t really prepare myself because I feel like it would mean that I miss out on what’s going on right now. I would have this feeling of wanting to speed up time and even develop a fear of the “after”. It would be important precisely, I think, to take the time after such a strong year in the light. Obviously, I had dreams before Miss France, in entrepreneurship for example. I think I will go this route. At the media level, it will depend on the opportunities, the desire. I don’t want to rush things, it’s only been a month and a half.
Do you consider yourself well paid for your year as Miss France?
The answer is extremely simple: I didn’t decide to do Miss France for the money. When I signed the contract, I’m not sure I even looked at the salary. This title is above all the realization of several months of preparation where I fought against many different candidates. It would be sad to dwell on the financial. A dream is free for me and the money is just a bonus because everything I experience every day is priceless. So my salary suits me.
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