Dominique Lagrou-Sempère, who has long been Jean-Pierre Pernaut’s sidekick on TF1, has now taken off. The 51-year-old journalist gave her news to the “Journal des Femmes”.
Journalist, senior reporter and writer, Dominique Lagrou-Sempère worked for a long time alongside Jean-Pierre Pernaut, notably on his famous 1 p.m. news. After leaving TF1 in 2021, she chose to reinvent her career. Today, it’s on his YouTube channel, in the show Between You and Methat she hosts a dating and interview show. She gave us an interview to take stock of her current life.
You are used to interviewing all kinds of personalities on your show. Is there one that particularly struck you?
Each person we receive acts like a little therapy. The general theme is the trials of life which allow us to reveal strengths that we underestimate in ourselves, or which open up another path for us. So, it could be this woman who was the victim of an attempted feminicide, who is called Karine Boucher, and who is able to tell you straight in the eye that today, she thinks she is beautiful even though this violence caused her to lose an arm.
We will also receive Mayane, who is the actress of A little something extrawhich will explain to you the importance of the present tense. It works in the moment, it does not project itself, neither yesterday nor tomorrow. So it shows you that happiness can be grasped in the moment. Everyone, in their field, with their life story, will reason within me.
“Life has shaken me up enough”
Are you able to distance yourself from these testimonies?
Yes, but I still have 20 years of journalism, major reporting where, in fact, the testimonies are harsh… So we learn to distance ourselves and that is exactly the definition of the word “empathy”. Empathy is feeling with the other, but not falling with the other. The idea is to be able to take a step aside each time to come back to yourself and be able to transcribe the speech and the story. But I think that life has shaken me up enough, particularly with the death of my husband (Claude Sempère, died in 2019, editor’s note) so that today I can have a saving alignment taking place.
I have this undeniable hypersensitivity, but it’s fortunate. It took me a while to understand that it was a true gift of life.
Don’t you miss doing TV?
No. I’m very good at what I do. I am fulfilled, I am aligned, that’s really the word that comes to me. When you’re chasing the buzz, the little word, people get tired, they’re not fooled. By not looking for buzz, you have incredible testimonies, like that of Delphine Wespiser, on narcissistic perversion. This interview happened almost overnight. We met, we met, trust was established. And I didn’t even know that she was going to tell me a painful story about her perverted narcissistic ex. It really came out like that.
When we have experienced painful ordeals like you, how do we envisage the future?
I’m open to lots of things. Every day I say to myself: ‘What will happen to us, what will I discover?’ etc.
I have a production company today and my desire is to help others. My life today is focused on this, even if it has to be through shows or conferences. Helping others, I think that’s what makes you happiest. That’s what we keep. On the evening of your death, what will you say? What actually makes sense to you?
Do you think about it, about death, about time passing?
No, I’m learning to be in the moment, which I struggled to do before my husband died. It’s true that the grief I went through allowed me to realize that life is ephemeral, whereas we believe we are immortal when we are 30-40 years old. Obviously, when it hits you, you think about it. Today, on the other hand, I am learning to overcome this fear of death. I also receive a lot of guests who talk about spirituality, these are really questions that interest me. Everyone is afraid of dying, but rather than being afraid of it, we must say to ourselves, ‘Let’s just enjoy what life gives us here.’ I don’t want to be afraid of anything anymore. Nothing is worth being afraid of. Today, I feel good about myself, my age, and ultimately everything.
“From where he is, Jean-Pierre Pernaut must be having a good laugh!”
Are you tired of people always talking to you about Jean-Pierre Pernaut?
No, I am not tired because I am who I am today by what I have experienced, by all the encounters I have had, by the paths I have taken. And I had the great fortune of meeting Jean-Pierre. So on the contrary, it is a gift of life. But I like to say that the Dominica of TF1 is no longer the Dominica of today. Obviously, time has passed.
What has changed?
Today, I have become free, independent, determined to remain so. I dare, I assert myself. Perhaps also because I created my professional environment and that is a gift. It takes courage to take the plunge and I was ready to do it, but the first to feel it was Jean-Pierre. And I think that from where he is, he would be infinitely proud of my professional path. Either way, he was pretty sure I would create something. I think he must be having a good laugh!
