“I was riding a motorbike”: Nagui reveals having had suicidal thoughts

Historical presenter of the show N'oubliez pas les paroles on France 2, Nagui revealed during an interview given to La Tribune du dimanche that he had already had suicidal thoughts in the past.

© France 2

IN BRIEF

• Nagui, an iconic host of France Télévisions, went through a difficult period after his dismissal from Canal+ in the early 2000s.
• During this period, he considered suicide but ultimately found a new lease of life with opportunities such as Intervilles and Tout le monde veut prendre sa place.
• Today, Nagui is proud of his role on France Inter, paying tribute to his parents and defying the prejudices of the Parisian intelligentsia.

An emblematic face of the French audiovisual landscape. And more particularly of France Télévisions. Nagui has been in charge of the show N'oubliez pas les paroles on France 2 on a daily basis since 2007. During his career, the host experienced a long period of desertion in the early 2000s. This began just after his dismissal from Canal+. Where he presented the show Nowhere else for a single season.

“It's the beginning of four dark years. My mother disappears six months after my arrival at Canal+ and ten days later Alain De  Greef calls me to tell me that I won't be rehired at the start of the school year. At least she'll have been spared this blow, because she was always afraid that I'd be fired after one season at “TV“, Nagui revealed in an interview with La Tribune du dimanche.

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Nagui: “Çit would be so much easier if I had an accident”

“Even if, at the same time, my future wife enters my life. I feel totally has-been. My accountant implored me to file for bankruptcy of my production company: 'You are heading straight forward into a wall, you will cease paying rent and wages…' And in 2004, the stars aligned. I was first offered the presentation of Intervilles, then of Tout le monde veut prendre sa place”, then added Nagui.

However, the host revealed that he had thought about committing suicide during this famous desert crossing at the time. “I was riding a motorbike on the ring road and I said to myself: 'It would be so much simpler if I had an accident'”, he revealed. During the same interview, Nagui also discussed the reasons that prevented him from taking action that day.

The host is very proud to have been on France Inter since 2014

“Fear, cowardice. But also the will to fight to come back. My mother, of Italian origin, always told me that I was a testa dura. A 'hard head'. It's true that I never gave up anything. It may be a fault in a child. But it's a quality in a producer who is disenchanted. I also think that, from where they are, my parents protect me“, explained Nagui. In addition to his activities on France 2. The host has also been in charge of a daily show on France Inter since 2014.

“My parents were great intellectuals plugged into France Inter. So joining this radio station was a huge source of pride for me, to pay tribute to them. But also to thumb my nose at all this Parisian intelligentsia who only saw me as a popular host. À When I arrived, I felt certain looks that meant: 'You're not one of us'”, Nagui notably emphasized on this subject.