The ‘French Jeremy Clarkson’ seen as a heroine by protesting farmers
A glamorous French television presenter famous for warming the hearts of lonely farmers has become a heroine for the country’s striking agricultural workers, joining their tractor blockades at the gates to Paris.
At home, the 55-year-old brunette had already been dubbed ‘the Michelle Obama of French agriculture’ and has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Brad Pitt in her capacity as a famous face of television in the European country.
But she has also drawn praise over the years for her willingness to get her hands dirty on a farm, and for her efforts to shine a light on the challenges faced by the nation’s agricultural industries – much in the same way that British presenter Jeremy Clarkson has done with his Diddly Squat farm in the UK.
And Le Marchand’s popularity among the country’s farmers has only grown this week after she made an appearance at a tractor camp at Jossigny, east of Paris, where a large group of workers have blocked the A4 highway – a key Parisian artery.
Taking the microphone to address the crowd, she voiced her support for the sieges of the country’s major cities, telling the protesters: ‘The French are with you’.
Karine Le Marchand (pictured Monday), 55, is a glamorous presenter of a television show that helps lonely farmers find a life partner, and has become a figurehead of the growing movement after telling the protesters: ‘The French are with you’
Le Marchand (left), who was already been dubbed ‘the Michelle Obama of French agriculture’, บริการรถรับจ้างขนของ has hosted hit match-making show L’amour est dans le pré (Love is in the Pasture) on France’s M6 channel for 13 years
Like Clarkson, Le Marchand owns her own farm, and although her TV show is not based around it, farmers who have appeared on L’amour est dans le pré have planted their own goods there
Karine Le Marchand is pictured with Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt in 2023 in Paris
TV Host Karine Le Marchand and actor Brad Pitt attend the ‘Babylon’ Paris Premiere at le Grand Rex on January 14, 2023 in Paris
Originally from Nancy in eastern France, Le Marchand – like Clarkson – now owns a farm with a hectare (2.5 acres) of cultivated land
‘Are there any single men here?’ she asked the crowd, a reference to her TV show.
‘This time, the French are with you. They have understood your distress,’ she told them while distributing 300 croissants to the demonstrators.
The iconic baked good, she said, บริการรถรับจ้างขนของ was a ‘French symbol of protest’ that was created by Parisian bakers to avoid salt tax by replacing it with sugar.
‘If you manage to have a tough, durable movement without violence, you will make a difference,’ she added.
He speech was met with cheers of ‘Merci Karine!’, the Telegraph reported
According to the British publication, a French farmer on Monday had told reporters that the movement was in need of a French equivalent Jeremy Clarkson, famous for his long stint on Top Gear but more recently the documentary series Clarkson’s Farm.
The hugely popular Amazon prime show documents Clarkson’s running of a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds – Diddly Squat – and has been praised for informing viewers about the challenges associated with being a farmer.
Robin Leduc, 30, who runs a 500 acre farm in France, told The Telegraph that he was a fan of the show, บริการรถรับจ้างขนของ and that France was in need of a figurehead like Clarkson.
‘We need one of our French celebrities to do the same as Jeremy Clarkson. It’s everything he explained, that’s why and how we are here today,’ he said.
Like Clarkson, Le Marchand owns her own farm. There, she plants crops from farmers who have appeared on L’amour est dans le pré.
She has also been recognised for her contribution towards French agriculture.
Clarkson, 63, and Le Marchand also started appearing on television around the same age. Clarkson was 28 when he first appeared on Top Gear in 1988, while Le Marchand began by hosting a mod-morning news programme in 1995 at the age of 27.
French farmers have quickly taken to Karine Le Marchand after she backed them on Monday
France’s answer to Davina McCall , Le Marchand has hosted hit match-making show L’amour est dans le pré (Love is in the Pasture) on France’s M6 channel for 13 years
Le Marchand’s popularity among France’s agricultural workers has only grown after she made an appearance at a tractor camp at Jossigny, east of Paris, on Monday
Le Marchand (right) addresses farmers next to general secretary of the local FDSEA farmers union Samuel Vandaele as she visits a road blockade set up by farmers on the A4 highway near Jossigny, east of Paris, on January 29, 2024
Farmers take part in a protest called by local branches of major farmer unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs, blocking the A35 highway with tractors near Strasbourg, France
Police officers control the entrance of the Rungis international market, which supplies the capital and surrounding region with much of its fresh food, with armoured vehicles today
In recent days, farmers in France have captured the nation’s attention by showering government offices with manure and besieging Paris with traffic-snarling barricades of tractors and hay bales – expressing their anger over rising costs, EU environmental policies and cheap food imports.