It is with an open heart that Cyrille Legendre, aka Smurfy, confided in our colleagues at Tele-Leisure. The champion of 12 shots of noonwho marked the first seasons of the program by participating in 71 shows in spring 2011 and accumulating more than 356,000 euros in winnings and gifts, faced a terrible descent into hell after confinement. Fortunately, the fifty-year-old was able to count on the unfailing support of the family of 12 shotsand especially Jean-Luc Reichmann, who was of providential help to him, and who helped him get out of this painful impasse.
“I burned out” remembers the championwho, following this ordeal, made the decision to leave Paris to move to the Dordogne. The facts date back to 2022. The champion of 12 shots of nooninvited to the traditional annual Battle of the Masters, which sees all the great champions of the program compete at the beginning of summer, from Paul El Kharrat to Bruno Hourcade via Xavier Mercier, refuses to go, too weakened by his psychological state. But that’s without counting the support of Jean-Luc Reichmann, who assured him that his presence on the show would be beneficial to him. And he was right !
He changed his life… and his job
“In 2022, I didn’t want to do Le Combat des maîtres. Jean-Luc Reichmann called me asking me to come and that it would do me good” remembers the champion, who, indeed, managed to overcome his exhaustion and his anxiety attacks to film the shows. A saving shoot, which allowed Smurfy to slowly get back up: “I explained my feelings, without being ashamed. I can say that The 12 strokes of noonJean-Luc Reichmann and my friends, helped me get through it”.
In the end, from the Dordogne, Cyrille Legendre also changed jobsand started his own company called Lend me your pen, an agency specializing in digital writing. A new job that allows him to enjoy life to the fullest, far from the tensions of the Ile-de-France region, and far from his burn-out: “I adapt my writing. It could be commercial writing, memoirs, philosophical… I touch on what my clients ask. For example, I am currently writing for a photovoltaic site. It’s specific but I try to bring a different touch and tone”.