Has Johnny's true love just been revealed? In the book Lady Lucille , published by Éditions du Seuil, Gilles Lhotte reveals the name of the woman with whom the idol of young people had lived a secret affair for almost 50 years. According to the journalist and friend of the singer, it would be the actress Catherine Deneuve. According to Paris Match , this "passion woven from absences and reunions" would have plunged Sylvie Vartan, married to the singer from 1968 to 1980, into "disarray" .
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The interpreter of La Maritza took the pen on social networks to react to this "embroidered fiction" . "It is always surprising to learn things about my own life that make you laugh - but not necessarily exact," says Sylvie Vartan in an Instagram publication where we can see the trio. "It would appear that at the time when these photos were taken in Japan in 1978, I was in a state of" disarray "and separated from Johnny moreover , continues the singer of 75 years. It's funny, I absolutely do not have the same look on this period, and for good reason: taking advantage of a break during a tour that I made in this country, I celebrated June 15 the 35 years by Johnny with Catherine Deneuve (both members of the Tokyo Music Festival as well as Michel Legrand, Diana Ross and others). Neither “disarray” nor separation, therefore, but just the pleasure and the joy of sharing a happy moment with people who were dear to me. ”
“I know very well that sometimes some people for lowly mercantile reasons prefer fiction to reality. Not me, especially when reality is much more beautiful than any embroidered fiction - even sold out - without my knowledge, ” she concludes.
According to the revelations of Gilles Lhote, the romance between Johnny Hallyday and Catherine Deneuve would have started in 1961. Johnny would have had a crush on the actress on the set of the film Les Parisiennes, in which he sang Retiens la nuit pour elle. Unfortunately, at the time, the actress was already in a relationship with Roger Vadim. Their story would have remained more or less secret until Johnny's funeral and the discovery of a wreath sent by a mysterious Lady L. "Lady L" would be short for "Lady Lucille", a nickname borrowed from a song by Little Richard by ... Catherine Deneuve!
In the newspaper Le Parisien , the biographer of the youth idol explains that Johnny had revealed this relationship to him. “ During the many interviews for his Destroy biography in 1995, Johnny confirmed it to me. He had revealed his identity to me, but had chosen to protect her with this name: Lady Lucille. Catherine Deneuve, who is recovering from a stroke, did not express herself on this clandestine love story, romantic to perfection.