At 62 years old, Claude Askolovitch is a renowned journalist. Passed through various newspapers and magazines such Marianne or the New Observerhe was also a senior reporter and currently presents the press review on the France Inter morning show every day of the week. He has also been a columnist since 2013 for the show 28 minutes on Arte.
In terms of his private life, Claude Askolovitch has also had more experiences, unfortunately not all of them joyful. With his first wife Valérie Atlanhe welcomed a girl and a boy, Camille (32 years old) and Théo (29 years old). But all was not rosy. On the contrary, the journalist experienced dark periods. Particularly when seven years ago, his son was diagnosed testicular cancer. At the time, the latter was only 22 years old.
Théo, a young actor, made it the heart of his show called 66 days, written during confinement. He talks about his memories in the hospital, his chemotherapy sessions and talks about the fear of dying that he may have experienced. And at the time, it was a huge blow for his famous dad, who had a hard time reassuring his child. Enough to create some tensions as Théo remembers during a cross-interview alongside him for Gala (published this Thursday, December 19). “I found it difficult to bear his anxiety, which was almost stronger than mine. He spoke to the doctor in my place and, like a good Ashkenazi Jew, minimized when the latter told us good news. He replied ‘Let’s wait and see if it really gets better’. I yelled at him and asked him to leave the hospital but I knew he would stay“, shared the young man.
Claude Askolovitch lost his first wife Valérie, taken away at the age of 44
It must be said that Claude Askolovitch unfortunately knows the disease well and how it can end. His wife Valérie Atlan, mother of his children, died in 2009 at age 44, “killed in a few hours by an adrenal tumor (a pheochromocytoma)“, specify our colleagues. “I lived in the reminiscence of those moments“, admits Claude Askolovitch to justify his fears towards Théo, who for his part was more serene, certain of having already experienced the worst with the death of his mother when he was only 14 years old. “I don’t consider cancer to be such a difficult stage in my life. Unlike my mother’s disappearance“, he said.
In any case, life ended up winning over illness and even death since Claude Askolovitch managed to find love again, with Nolwenn Le BlevennecFrench journalist, editor-in-chief at L’Obsand writer for Gallimard editions. With her he had two other children. “It was quick. Today, our blended and baroque family functions but it was not easy for my elders. Théo was mad at me for being happyto impose my new life on him. It was hard for me to see that something was gone in his eyes“, declared the journalist who nevertheless today shares a beautiful relationship with his son.
