The formalization of their relationship in the media caused a lot of ink to flow.
A few months after their meeting and love at first sight in Manhattan, Marlène Schiappa – former Minister Delegate for Citizenship and ex-Secretary of State – and her new companion Matthias Savignac, president of the MGEN mutual, decided to reveal their story in broad daylight.
With a few months of hindsight, the couple, now together for a year, returned to this significant decision in the columns of
Gala magazine,
on March 14.
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A new life
For several months, the life of the former politician has changed drastically.
The latter in fact divorced, almost a year ago, from Cédric Bruguière, with whom she shared her life for almost twenty years, and welcomed her two daughters aged 18 and 12.
“I am still amazed by the fact of having met someone with whom I have such a feeling.
We write to each other all day, we call each other 20 times a day... I no longer go to dinners if Matthias is not there,” says the ex-politician in this interview with
Gala
.
“We live our love day by day”
Marriage is, however, not part of her plans with Matthias Savignac.
“For now, we live our love day by day,” she explains.
The fulfilled 41-year-old politician does not seem to want to pay attention to the criticism.
“If people don't have the maturity to understand that a woman can love again at 40, I don't care,” she said.
A point of view shared by his companion.
“At 50, I no longer want to waste time on trivialities,” declared Matthias Savignac.
It is an age where we are acutely aware of the finitude of things.
(...) This is also why I stay away from social networks.
Our loved ones are happy for us and that’s the main thing,” he says.
A year later, on the occasion of the CSW, the Commission on the Status of Women, they are preparing to return to the UN, in Manhattan, where they met.
“We will be there to defend our commitments, but it is a joy to return to the place of our love at first sight,” she enthuses.
“It’s irrational, I always knew something would happen in New York in my life.
I even got a tattoo of the Statue of Liberty on my right forearm.”
But it was in Paris that they found their common accommodation, after a few months.
“We didn’t want to have a double life”
“It was daring,” she comments in
Gala
.
Many people told us: “It won’t last more than two weeks!”,” reveals the ex-minister.
Before qualifying: “It’s not courage either, it was rather easy.
It's a banal story, like many people aged 40 or 50 experience.
»
A vision shared by his companion: “It was more obvious than courage.
What we experienced is both exceptional and banal,” explains this father of two children (a 23-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son), who was forced to abandon some of his activities after his meeting with Marlène Schiappa, to avoid a conflict of interest.
“The happiness of one person sometimes causes the misfortune of others.
Have you thought about hiding this relationship?
», asked
Gala
to Marlène Schiappa.
“It was out of the question.
We didn't want to have a double life.
After 40, you know when it's serious.
We also wanted to take responsibility for the people we lived with,” she replies with confidence.
Kind reactions
It was also necessary to announce the news to Marlène Schiappa's professional entourage, notably Élisabeth Borne and Emmanuel Macron.
“It’s paradoxical, we feel like we have something to reproach ourselves for when we’re just in love,” she confides.
Fortunately, both would have welcomed the news: “Élisabeth Borne was very understanding.
She told me that being in love was always good news.
Emmanuel Macron also had a nice reaction,” she shares.
“With the President, we write to each other from time to time.
When I left, we had a big forty-five minute discussion on the phone.
With the First Lady, we always text each other.
We talk about current events, things in life.
I am also reading the book by his daughter, Tiphaine, on domestic violence, a subject that is dear to me.
Brigitte Macron is a very human woman, she gets a lot of news,” says the former Secretary of State.
A new relationship that seems to inspire him.
The latter is preparing to publish a new romance
book in May,
published by Fayard
.
It will tell the love story of a minister and take readers behind the scenes of politics.