Sexual assault survivor Gisèle Pelicot tells all in powerful new memoir

[0:00] Her story shocked the world. [0:01] In 2020, Gisele Pelico learned from police [0:04] that her husband had been drugging her [0:06] and inviting strangers to rape her for more than a decade. [0:10] Now, years later in a trial behind her, [0:12] Gisele is a survivor with a message, [0:15] shame has to change sides. [0:17] Our Lindsay Davis sat down with Gisele [0:19] as she reflects on the trial and life after assault [0:22] in her new memoir, A Hymn to Life. [0:28] It was a landmark trial that shook France and the world. [0:34] The case of 73-year-old Gisele Pelico [0:39] was a global reckoning over consent, justice, [0:42] and the hidden realities of sexual violence. [0:45] Pelico's life unraveled in 2020 [0:48] when police began an investigation into her husband, [0:50] who was accused of taking videos [0:52] under women's skirts at a supermarket. [0:54] When police seized Dominique Pelico's computer, [0:58] they would find 20,000 pictures and videos [1:01] showing that Gisele's husband of 50 years [1:03] had been drugging and sexually abusing her for a decade. [1:08] While Gisele was on trial, [1:09] she was unconscious. [1:10] He recruited strangers online to rape her in their home, [1:13] all while taking pictures and videos of his devious crimes. [1:16] When it came time to face her 51 rapists, [1:21] including her now ex-husband Dominique [1:23] in a French court of law, [1:25] Gisele Pelico decided she wasn't gonna be a faceless [1:28] or nameless victim. [1:31] Instead, she chose to reveal her identity to the public. [1:35] Shame has to change sides, she said. [1:38] In 2024, Dominique and 50 others were convicted [1:41] in a public four-month trial in Avignon. [1:45] Now, her ex-husband is in jail for 20 years, [1:48] the maximum sentence in France for crimes. [1:52] In October of 2025, France changed the definition of rape [1:55] to include the concept of consent and Gisele, [1:58] for her part, continues to navigate her new reality [2:01] with her three children and leaves nothing to chance [2:04] in her powerful new memoir, A Hymn to Life. [2:10] Merci beaucoup. [2:11] Thank you so much for taking the time [2:13] to talk with us about your book. [2:16] Let's start with that day, and how, you know, how, you know, [2:18] how that must have turned your world upside down. [2:21] It was an explosion, really. [2:27] It swept everything away. [2:29] So it required a lot of strength to face all this, [2:33] because then I knew I would have to inform my children, [2:37] and this was the most difficult moment of my life. [2:40] And how did they react? [2:41] For them, it was also similar to a bombshell. [2:47] I realized that if I collapsed, I would be dead. [2:48] I would be dead. [2:49] I would be dead. [2:49] I would be dead. [2:49] I would be dead. [2:49] Everything would collapse around us. [2:51] I had to keep going for them, for my children, [2:53] to make sure I would overcome this ordeal. [2:56] Where did you find the cool, the calm, the composure [3:00] to confront those 51 men in court, including your husband, [3:07] to the point where your daughter was upset [3:09] that you didn't seem to have the same rage and anger? [3:13] Where did that come from, that composure? [3:16] My mother, my grandmother, she passed it on to me. [3:18] My mother. [3:19] And my grandmother have passed this on to me, this resilience. [3:25] I decided I would not lower my gaze. [3:28] I know that shame needs to change sides. [3:31] And as a victim of sexual violence, [3:35] often we can feel isolated, ashamed. [3:38] But also, thankfully, I had all these women [3:41] who came to support me during this trial. [3:43] They conveyed so much strength. [3:46] They gave me so much strength. [3:49] You all were married. [3:50] You were married for 50 years, and you never [3:52] saw any evidence of deviant behavior. [3:57] No, we were a normal couple. [4:01] He did ask me for certain things, and I said no. [4:05] And he could only get this control because of the drugs. [4:07] In the book, you talk about seeing your husband in court [4:11] and wanting to have this conversation with him [4:15] and ask him so many questions. [4:17] Have you all talked? [4:19] What were those conversations like? [4:21] Since his arrest? [4:23] No. [4:24] No. [4:25] I have not been able to discuss with Mr. Pellico. [4:28] I could only address the presiding judge. [4:31] But I intend to go and see Mr. Pellico. [4:35] I do have a lot of questions remaining. [4:38] What would you say or ask him? [4:40] Pourquoi? [4:42] Why? [4:43] Pourquoi tout ça? [4:44] Why all this? [4:45] It seems like there are parts of the book [4:49] that you really preserve, the good memories. [4:52] Why? [4:53] Versus the harsh realities of the marriage. [4:56] Were there ever times where the two collide? [5:02] I lived with Mr. Pellico for 50 years. [5:05] I had to believe this was not all a lie. [5:10] I do feel like I have lived several lives. [5:13] That one for 50 years and this one that I do get to live now. [5:17] Are there parts of you that still love Dominique? [5:20] There is a part of me that I loved Mr. Pellico. [5:22] Parts of me loved Mr. Pellico, yes. [5:25] We have had three children. [5:27] We don't share 50 years of marriage with somebody without loving them deeply. [5:31] But today I am living a new love story. [5:34] You have been able to find love again. [5:37] A number of people might ask, [5:39] how are you able to trust again enough to love [5:42] and be in a relationship again, a romantic relationship? [5:46] Because I think we should not make an amalgam of everything. [5:50] I think we should not say that any individual is able to rape. [5:55] That is not true. [5:57] Men and women, all individuals, we are made to live together in harmony. [6:02] And yes, I have met a wonderful person with similar values. [6:07] So not everyone is a rapist or a pervert. [6:10] You say that shame has to change sides. [6:13] What is your message to those young women, older women, [6:18] people who do feel very much that they're victims, [6:20] not as much survivors? [6:24] I think that this book is a message of hope and strength [6:29] because what I have done, any woman can do. [6:32] I am sure of it. [6:34] And so the very important step is to speak up, [6:37] to tell what happened, to not stay alone, isolated, [6:41] because they are not liable, they are not responsible. [6:44] Only the perpetrators are responsible. [6:48] And so I hope that this trail has changed [6:50] something. [6:51] I am told by a lot of men that their gaze, [6:54] the way they look at women has changed. [6:56] So this was a very important step to also change mindsets [6:59] of hopefully our society. [7:00] Our thanks to Lindsay Davis. [7:03] Her memoir, A Hymn to Life, is available anywhere books are sold.