France: Woman Speaks Out After Husband’s 20-Year Sentence for Systematic Rape

Gisèle Pelicot, the French woman who became a symbol of the fight against sexual violence, has spoken publicly for the first time about the systematic abuse she endured at the hands of her ex-husband and dozens of other men. Her story, which shocked France and sparked a national reckoning on rape culture, gained international attention after a landmark trial concluded in December 2024.

On December 19, 2024, Dominique Pelicot, her former husband, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating the systematic rapes of his wife over nearly a decade. The court as well convicted fifty other men for their involvement in the assaults, following an open trial that brought the issue of sexual violence into sharp focus.

Following the verdict, Pelicot declared, “Shame must change sides,” a phrase that quickly became a rallying cry for victims and advocates. The case has prompted a broader examination of systemic sexual assault and the societal stigmas surrounding it.

Now 73, Pelicot recently appeared on the French public channel France 5’s program La Grande Librairie to discuss her latest memoir, “Un himno a la vida. Mi historia” (“A Hymn to Life: My Story”), and share details of her ordeal. This marked her first televised interview since the conclusion of the trial.

During the 50-minute conversation, Pelicot revealed the harrowing moment she learned the extent of her husband’s betrayal. Police investigators showed her photographs and videos revealing that Dominique Pelicot had been drugging her with sleeping pills and inviting men to sexually assault her whereas he recorded the attacks. “I don’t recognize myself in those photos,” she said, recalling her initial reaction. “I said, ‘That’s not me.’”

The interview detailed not only the judicial facts of the case, but also the personal devastation, family fractures, and ongoing attempts at healing.

Pelicot described the moment police presented her with evidence of her husband’s crimes – images and videos showing her being assaulted while unconscious. She learned that for 50 years, he had been crushing sleeping pills into her food and drink, then inviting strangers to rape her while he filmed the attacks. “That’s you in the photo,” a police officer told her. Initially, she refused to believe it. “I said, ‘That’s not me.’”

After putting on her glasses and looking again, she said, “There I discovered this lifeless woman with a man she doesn’t grasp on her bed. I think my brain dissociated.”

She also began to recall earlier, subtle signs that she hadn’t recognized at the time.

Pelicot remembered noticing a yellow stain on her husband’s pants shortly after they moved to the town of Mazan. “I asked him if he might be drugging me, and then he started to cry. Was that my subconscious? I don’t know,” she recounted.

She also recalled a clear beer that changed color after he added what he claimed was mint syrup. When she questioned him, he poured it down the drain. “At the time, I didn’t think anything of it,” she admitted. These incidents now appear as pieces of a puzzle she was previously unable to assemble.

Pelicot also expressed a desire to visit her ex-husband in prison as part of her “healing process,” hoping to ask him, “Why did you do this?” Despite the betrayal and indignity, she acknowledged the need to preserve happy memories from their half-century together. “It’s all I have left of that life,” she explained.

The case has strained Pelicot’s family relationships. She rejected the idea that tragedy automatically unites family members, noting that her relationship with her daughter, Caroline, is slowly improving, while her relationship with her son, David, remains more challenging. “I chose to live with Mr. Pelicot. They didn’t choose their father,” she said.

In a surprising turn, Pelicot revealed that she has fallen in love again. In 2023, she met a man named Jean-Loup, describing the connection as “incredible.” The development underscores the possibility of finding hope and connection even after enduring profound trauma.

She said that they both had experienced difficult times and that the relationship had transformed their lives. After years of violence, betrayal, and humiliation, the prospect of a new love offered an unexpected path toward recovery.