Gisèle Pelicot Breaks Silence: What Sparked the Sudden Silence from Her Daughter?
Warning: This article tackles some heavy and deeply disturbing topics around sexual assault and rape, so buckle up and prepare yourself—it’s not light reading. Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman of remarkable courage, steps into the spotlight ahead of her memoir, A Hymn To Life, and dives headfirst into a harrowing 2024 trial that sent shockwaves across France and beyond. Imagine being betrayed not once, but by your own ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, who is now locked up for a 20-year sentence for the most grotesque of crimes. Gisèle’s bold choice to waive her right to anonymity turned this trial into a global headline—because when you shine a light on darkness, it’s hard to look away. But here’s a twist that punches in the gut: her own daughter Caroline felt so forgotten she stopped talking to her. How does a family survive such devastation? The complexities of pain, betrayal, and healing are all laid bare in a gripping exclusive interview on BBC Newsnight. Sometimes, truth hits so hard you have to wonder—is justice ever really served, or just survived? If you’re ready to confront the raw realities and explore this saga of survival, you’ll want to catch every word.
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and rape which some readers may find distressing.
Ahead of the publication of her memoir A Hymn To Life, Gisèle Pelicot has an extensive interview with BBC Newsnight airing tonight (15 February).
A UK exclusive, the French woman spoke to Victoria Derbyshire about the infamous 2024 trial of her ex-husband and 50 other men.
Dominique Pelicot is now serving a 20-year term in jail for drugging, raping and inviting the others to rape Gisèle.
The 73-year-old inspiringly waived her right to anonymity during the trial and has ‘never regretted’ the decision to do so. Her doing this meant the men on trial couldn’t benefit from anonymity and the case drew global attention.
Gisèle’s daughter Caroline was at her side during this, but she has since said she stopped speaking to her mum, feeling like a ‘forgotten victim’.
Caroline was at Gisèle’s side during the trial. (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
Photos of the daughter asleep in her underwear were found on Dominique’s laptop as Gisèle says: “The incestuous look he cast on his daughter, I found utterly unbearable.”
Caroline is convinced the man drugged and raped her too but he has not been prosecuted for this due to a lack of additional evidence.
In her book I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again, she claims that from the beginning, her mum couldn’t believe he would have preyed on his own child and apparently said: “Your father is incapable of such a thing.”
Caroline told The Telegraph that the trial tested her relationship with Gisèle and they were no longer on speaking terms.
“My mother let go of my hand in that courtroom,” she claimed. “She abandoned me.”
She added that she can ‘never forgive’ her mother for not helping with her claims and that while she respects Gisèle has started a ‘new life’: “What I don’t respect is that she didn’t fulfil her contract with me. You stay a mother until you die, whatever the trials and tribulations – but she didn’t.”
The interview airs tonight. (BBC)
Speaking to Newsnight, Gisèle said that the pair are now repairing their relationship.
“Each of us needed time to find our own path,” she said. “Today, we’re trying to bring each other peace, and I hope we’re on the right road to healing.”
She explained that it took her daughter time as she’s ‘filled with hatred and anger’ but these are feelings the mum apparently doesn’t possess.
“I have neither hatred, nor anger,” Gisèle added. “I felt betrayed and outraged by Mr Pelicot, but that’s just how I am.”
Gisèle Pelicot: The Newsnight Interview is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer and airs on BBC Two at 10pm tonight.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
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