VIDEO – Diane Leyre, Miss France 2022: “I’m a mix between Phoebe and Rachel from Friends” – LCI

Her ease in front of the camera is reminiscent of that of Amandine Petit. Its frankness too. Freshly elected Miss France 2022, Diane Leyre has not really had time to look at her social networks where her popularity is breaking records. Blame it on a vast media tour that brought her back to where it all began.

Before returning to the TF1 13H plateau where she had gone with her 28 classmates, the former Miss Ile-de-France took the time to answer our questions. And even with 10 short hours of sleep in the space of two days, the 24-year-old has not lost any of the good humor she displayed a few minutes after her victory in Caen.

Miss France, is it more of a family affair than a little girl’s dream?

My little cousin Illana Barry was Miss Languedoc-Roussillon last year, but it wasn’t necessarily a family affair. I followed her adventure thoroughly and subsequently, the Miss Ile-de-France committee contacted me after seeing my profile on Instagram via my cousin. They told me I should give it a try and I did. Illana supported her region this year, but she thought very hard of me and I carried the blood of the family to the end.

Becoming Miss France is often a complete change of scenery for the winner. But not for you, because you will be settling very close to where you lived in Paris. Does that make this whirlwind start less scary?

I moved to this new apartment which is actually not very far from where I live. After in Paris, everything is accessible by transport. I am a big fan of the metro but now it will be a little more difficult with the scarf of Miss France (she smiles). It is true that it allows me to undergo less stress. I don’t know how the others felt about it. I am lucky to be able to say that in the evening I can meet up with my friends for a drink or my family if I need support.

Your regional costume, beret on your head and baguette under your arm, could have come out of the series Emily in Paris. What will the year of “Diane in Paris” version Miss France bring together?

(She laughs) I don’t know yet but I can’t wait to find out. It will be a life without routine anyway. Lots of new things and new opportunities are going to come along, it’s going to be awesome. What’s cool with Miss France is that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Since your election, you have been answering questions on feminism and sexism without being dismayed. Is it the practice of boxing that forged your character?

(She laughs) I’m not sure that’s it. What is certain is that sport helps me channel my energy because I have a lot of it. It allows me to release stress. Before doing Miss France, I found myself as a woman. I know who I am so necessarily, I have more assertive ideas. I know I am a feminist. For me, in 2021, the question of whether we are or not no longer arises: we all are. Now, to each their own definition of feminism. I respect everyone’s opinion.

What do you remember from your meeting with Minister Elisabeth Moreno the day before the election?

Maybe we made him change his mind about the contest. She said it was has been and he was shown that this was not the case. She was great, she is really a very inspiring woman. Whether it’s about her personal life or the causes she defends. She made us very aware of the cause of women. We have to put it forward when we are Miss France.

Have you been on your Instagram since Sunday?

Quickly…

You went from 26,000 subscribers on Saturday afternoon to over half a million this morning …

Saying half a million is scary. It’s quite improbable, this is where we realize the scale of Miss France and the impact we can have on younger people. With the rise of social networks, we have more and more different models who, sometimes, do not necessarily advocate the best messages. Their job is to sell dreams. Miss France a little too but it represents all the women of France. And the French woman does not only have perfect days. It will be important for me to advocate the natural and the true so as not to create complexes in our young people.

Your promotion was also entitled to a little call to order due to the abusive use of filters. Do you want to remind young people that what we see on Instagram is not necessarily reality?

For me, it is important to remember that real life is in our family and in what we see on a daily basis. We all have days with and days without. Sometimes we’re full of energy, we’re pretty and we’re getting ready. And then others, we are at the bottom of the bed and we only want to be in front of Netflix, cleansed. This is real life. And that’s what I want to show as Miss France.

You are a fan of the series Friends. Which character looks like you the most?

I would say that I am a mix between the madness of Phoebe a little offbeat and the ingenuous Rachel of the beginnings. When she arrives on the show, she’s a bit innocent, she’s a bit lost. From time to time, I also happen to be a bit to the west. When I was elected Miss France, I did not understand anything. I was asked to take a selfie, I did it about 500 times again because I didn’t understand what I was asked to do. And Phoebe, she’s super talkative. Like me (she laughs).

In your interview for LCI, you told us to call your mom every day when you were away. Is it a ritual that you will keep as Miss France?

Sure ! This is our moment. I want to reassure her too. She must be wondering if everything is going well, even though she knows that I am very independent. I have already lived away from her for four years (she moved to Madrid at 18 for her studies, editor’s note). There we are in the media, it’s not the same life so it’s important that I give her news and tell her what media I’m going to use so that she turns on her TV at the right time (she laughs).

Celine Dion, Kylian MBappé or Patrick Dempsey, who can we hope you meet this year?

Do I really need to say it? Are you going to take my doctor Mamour away from me? Of course I want to meet Patrick Dempsey if I can, I’m just waiting for him (she laughs) ! But unfortunately he lives far away, he is married. I let him do his life (she laughs).

In Gala, your brother Amaury is already talking about Miss Universe. Is it in the back of your mind?

(She laughs). I did not know ! For the moment no. I have just been elected Miss France. I take full advantage of this title. I am very proud to represent the French. We will see the rest later, each thing in its time. Clémence Botino has just made a great top 10 and I congratulate her. I hope she will give me some little lessons in catwalk when I go abroad.

You have always dreamed of being an entrepreneur, you have already created your company. What crazy project could the title of Miss France help you achieve?

I do not know yet. I am very creative, I change my mind all the time. Perhaps over the course of the meetings, ideas will emerge.