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Évelyne Leclercq, Beloved Host of TF1’s ‘Tournez manège!’, Dies at 74

TF1 hailed the former speakerine whose midday dating show Tournez manège! defined an era on the network.

Overview

  • Her daughter, Céline Olive, told AFP she died on Tuesday in Grasse after a long illness, surrounded by family.
  • TF1 paid tribute in a statement, calling her a “grande dame” of French television and praising her warmth and professionalism.
  • Best known for co‑hosting Tournez manège! at lunchtime from 1985 to 1993 with Fabienne Égal and Simone Garnier, the show matched singles separated by a screen with music by pianist Charly Oleg.
  • She began as a speakerine in Nice in 1969 and joined TF1 at its launch in 1975, later presenting France’s Eurovision qualifiers in 1976 and 1977.
  • Leclercq disclosed in 2019 that she had lymphatic cancer, and she later cited the show’s scale at about 17,000 contestants, leading to 42 marriages and 39 babies.