Suffering from vitiligo like Édouard Philippe, this journalist raises awareness of this disease

By Murielle Bouchard Published on76actuSee my news

With "obviously less notoriety, she smiles, than that of Édouard Philippe", Jenny Demay, 30, sports journalist on Canal + is one of the public figures. Like the mayor of Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and ex-Prime Minister from 2017 to 2020, she has vitiligo. The remarks on the depigmentation of her skin "concentrated on the top of my face" fuse, she considers them "heavy". With regard to Édouard Philippe, they were able to go to the degree of insult.

Jenny Demay therefore decided to lift the veil on her illness by publishing a video of her on September 17, 2021, filmed without a filter. A way for her to evoke vitiligo without… or almost, referring to the beard of Édouard Philippe.

Talking about it differently

A video that created a buzz and which, to the surprise of the person concerned, only resulted in benevolent comments. Even if the young woman fears that this disease will tomorrow be a brake on her professional development within television, she can boast of having succeeded in making people talk about vitiligo "without for once it being the subject of unpleasant remarks as for the beard of Édouard Philippe".

Without comment, the mayor of Le Havre retweeted the publication of Jenny Demay the same evening.

The psychological impact

Vitiligo, "a disease from which approximately one million people suffer in France", Jenny Demay has been living with for several years "and unfortunately with confinement, this autoimmune disease has progressed. Concentrated white spots around my eyes have developed. Impossible to know how the disease will evolve, “it is not contagious, but there is a risk of heredity”, explains the young mother.

If vitiligo is not “painful except when my skin is in direct contact with the rays of the sun”, on the other hand, as the young woman testifies, the psychological impact is there. "It's hard to live with it. In my profession, appearance counts, I have always refused to go on a diet, put on heels or suits but I admit it, even if the make-up helps me, I am really afraid that one day, this be a brake on my career on TV. “The journalist has already tried a treatment” but I could not bear it “. There is still hope, “next July, I have an appointment in one of the three centers in France which offer specific treatments”.

In the meantime, has Jenny found a way to stop malicious comments or even insults related to this disease? "I don't know, I can only hope..."

Was this article useful to you? Note that you can follow 76actu in the My News space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.

Share