Gisèle Pelicot, the woman at the center of France's largest rape trial, has told BBC Newsnight she was crushed by horror on discovering that, for years, her husband had repeatedly drugged her unconscious and invited dozens of men to rape her. Something exploded inside me, says Ms Pelicot, 73, of the moment she realized the scale of her husband's crimes. It was like a tsunami.
In an extensive interview ahead of the publication of her memoir, A Hymn To Life, she describes how phoning her three children with the news of what she had discovered about their father was possibly the toughest experience of her life.
She recalls the moment she decided to waive her legal right to anonymity, and how she has never regretted that decision. She also reveals she still has unanswered questions she wants to ask her now ex-husband - the man she refers to as Mr Pelicot - in jail, where he is serving a 20-year term.
The Hôtel de Ville in central Paris, with its ceiling frescoes and rich wood paneling, is a far cry from the drab courtrooms in which Ms Pelicot was last seen publicly, during the four-month trial that shook France.
She describes the moment that marked the beginning of what she calls her descent into hell when she accompanied her husband, Dominique Pelicot, to a police station as he faced accusations of secretly filming women. Separately, a policeman showed her evidence that would shatter her life and complicate her realities: photos of herself drugged beside men she had never met.
The impact of these revelations took a toll not only on Ms Pelicot but her family as well. With tremendous courage, she decided to confront the world with her story, stating, For me, they soothed what was happening within the courtroom... I have never regretted my decision, not once.
Pelicot emphasizes healing from such trauma is a long journey and foresees future conversations with her ex-husband to seek clarity and closure. Her experience, described as both horrific and empowering, serves as an emblem of strength for other survivors of abuse and sexual violence.
In an extensive interview ahead of the publication of her memoir, A Hymn To Life, she describes how phoning her three children with the news of what she had discovered about their father was possibly the toughest experience of her life.
She recalls the moment she decided to waive her legal right to anonymity, and how she has never regretted that decision. She also reveals she still has unanswered questions she wants to ask her now ex-husband - the man she refers to as Mr Pelicot - in jail, where he is serving a 20-year term.
The Hôtel de Ville in central Paris, with its ceiling frescoes and rich wood paneling, is a far cry from the drab courtrooms in which Ms Pelicot was last seen publicly, during the four-month trial that shook France.
She describes the moment that marked the beginning of what she calls her descent into hell when she accompanied her husband, Dominique Pelicot, to a police station as he faced accusations of secretly filming women. Separately, a policeman showed her evidence that would shatter her life and complicate her realities: photos of herself drugged beside men she had never met.
The impact of these revelations took a toll not only on Ms Pelicot but her family as well. With tremendous courage, she decided to confront the world with her story, stating, For me, they soothed what was happening within the courtroom... I have never regretted my decision, not once.
Pelicot emphasizes healing from such trauma is a long journey and foresees future conversations with her ex-husband to seek clarity and closure. Her experience, described as both horrific and empowering, serves as an emblem of strength for other survivors of abuse and sexual violence.
