Do you remember one in particular?
“The first witnesses of the attacks in Brussels marked me. The testimonies were very strong. I don’t want to point to one person or another whom I have interviewed over the years… However, as the pandemic progresses, I will remember Sophie Wilmès who “landed” as Prime Minister at the heart of this crisis and who invested herself without counting… and who also made a courageous decision for her husband. She is an admirable woman. »
Exactly, you are talking about political leaders, would you be tempted to cross the border like Hadja Lahbib?
“For me, the question does not arise and I do not have the habit of asking myself questions that are not on the agenda. The profession of political leader has become extremely difficult. Social networks have a terrible sounding board where everyone becomes a tribune. I’m not sure I would like this type of job. »
Even at the local level?
“In Waterloo, I see the daily work of my former colleague, Florence Reuter. At a certain level, you can still go after your ideals. She does it very well, she is in the right place. »
Do you have time to do something else, a passion?
“The desires that I have are completely compatible with the profession of journalist that I exercise. I like to write. The artistic fields fascinate me a lot. »
Do you have a writing project?
“I wanted to write a fiction, something quite romantic. However, reality caught up with me because I had a personal experience that gave me another idea. I don’t want to say more for now. But I’m going to start from a personal experience to do something about it. We’ll see. »
When do you write?
“It is indeed difficult with my job. You have to find the time without work, children… For the moment, it remains very sporadic. But I persevere. »
Where does this passion come from?
” Always. I love to read, I love books, the tool. I’m old school and I don’t like e-reader books. I read everything: biographies, books related to my job…”
The spectator does not always see it, but your job requires a lot of commitment and preparation…
“Indeed, viewers do not always know our job. It requires a lot of preparation, reading, curiosity. I write my texts myself. I always have to be aware of everything. When the war in Ukraine begins, we obviously have to do a lot of work to update a subject that we had less treated for example. »
What are the qualities of a good journalist?
” Curiosity. Asking questions and not necessarily wanting to take the person you are interviewing where you want. You have to know how to listen to his answers and be able to shake up his own questions accordingly. You have to be curious about everything and everyone. We must always be fresh and passionate. I believe that the day when we no longer have the fire, we have to change. We must always be 110% journalist at heart. »
Can she extinguish this passion?
” I do not know. It has been shining for more than 20 years…”
V.Li.
Mom of two, is Sunday a day when you have some family time?
“I do everything I don’t have time to do during the week. I no longer have to do the weekends at the editorial office because I did them for 10 years. On Sundays, I play sports, we see family and friends. We move a lot. I also took up fitness. »
You don’t ride a horse anymore?
” I do not have time anymore. It is a fantastic sport but extremely time consuming. I have to make choices. I would like to do some… as soon as I see horses, the virus takes me over. I would like my daughter to be able to live this passion too, even though I know it would inevitably take me time. I would like her to be able to share this relationship with animals, with nature. My mom always says that my sister and I didn’t have a teenage crisis because we were passionate about horse riding. »
Are you also heavily involved in the non-profit organization Animals in Peril?
“It was also the party last weekend for the godparents of the association. I have been sponsoring a horse there since I had the opportunity to meet President Jean-Marc Montegnies. We developed a friendship. Animal welfare has always been a cardinal value for me. When I was little, at home, it was Noah’s Ark, I had many animals that I took care of. When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian, but it wasn’t possible because I couldn’t imagine giving an animal an injection. »
Belgians are very close to their animals.
” Its very important. During the Covid, people adopted more animals to take advantage of this particular bond… Unfortunately, there was an increase in abandonments after…”
Personally, you are little on social networks, a choice?
“I have always wanted to protect my privacy. I have never been on Facebook and never will be. Obviously, I’m missing invitations, but it doesn’t matter,” she smiles.
V.Li.
How many people are involved in presenting a news?
“Dozens of people: journalists, technical teams, live, teams in the field… I’m here to highlight the work of all these teams.”
When does a day start at 7 p.m.?
“I arrive at 11 a.m. and leave at 8 p.m. (if there is no special edition). Obviously, I listen to the news in the morning when I get up. I see directly what will be the trend of my day. Whether it will be more complicated or not. A priori, I have no contact before 11 a.m. with the editorial staff, but if there is a particular news, it can happen.
RTL, Bel RTL, many women are on the air, do you remember Barbara Mertens?
“Barbara is someone who was very dear to my heart. She was passionate about information who had a deep rigor… which is essential for our profession. I learned a lot from her and she didn’t hesitate to correct or make a comment. I’m happy that there are a lot of women at RTL who invest in this profession. They are as competent as the men, of course.”
V.Li.
The public may have forgotten it, but from 2006, you had an environmental section “Bel Planète” on Bel RTL…
“I was avant-garde,” she says, bursting out laughing. “I could redo the same chronicles today without changing a comma unfortunately. I have always had this awareness of nature. Today, we can’t just say: “it’s 35º”… The situation is worrying. Global warming is here. I think that since the floods, people are becoming more aware of it. I think that today, for those who are climatosceptic, the recent dysfunctions must have opened their eyes. It’s time because we’re going into the wall. »
Before this section, you arrived at Bel RTL via Radio Académy. A good memory ?
” Wonderful. I was supported by the Radio Contact Luxembourg team. They were happy for me that I was going to Bel RTL. I was able to learn in an exceptional team with Frédéric Bastien in particular, I had the opportunity to replace Sandrine Dans… I did reports, radio, I could do live… as I had been able to learn about TV LUX. All my past experience has allowed me to fit in more easily at Bel RTL. »
When did you start doing radio?
“21 years ago on Must FM in Habay-la-Neuve in the province of Luxembourg. It was very cheerful to start in this independent radio station which did regional news. I wanted to do national and international news there and the person in charge at the time allowed me to do so. Afterwards, I worked for Radio Contact in the province of Luxembourg. »
Do you still sometimes go back to the province of Luxembourg?
“Seeing my family more or less once a month. It is a magnificent region. I don’t want to say it too much because otherwise, everyone will come there » she says smiling
A memory of the Libramont Fair which has just ended?
“I spent golden years there, I partied there. I also took part in the horse-riding competition at the Fair. »
V.Li.