“Kicks to lose”, her ex-husbands, medicine, her violent father… she says it all (Excluded)

Internationally renowned model among the most emblematic of her generation, television host and actress, businesswoman, active and committed citizen, but above all mother of Nina, her “miracle”, Adriana Karembeu has entered the lives of the French. In a work called Free, it is told like rarely before! From her childhood in a communist country, where paternal violence was commonplace, to her successes in fashion, she discusses the ups and downs of her two marriages, the sexual assault she suffered as well as the obstacles she faced. overcame to become a mother at the age of 46. We spoke with this strong woman who is now, like the title of her book, finally free! Exclusive interview.

Your first chapter is devoted to your daughter: has she really changed everything in your life?

Adriana Karembeu. Completely and I couldn’t imagine how much. They say that life changes when you have a child, and logistically, that’s obviously true, but it’s so, so much more than that. My daughter took me back 50 years, and I think I became the little girl I was again. When I lived with my grandparents, I had a certain character. I was very happy, naughty, curious, full of life and sunny. By welcoming my daughter, I reconnected with this little girl.

You embarked on medical studies after your baccalaureate. Did you want to escape your tyrannical father?

Adriana Karembeu. Not necessarily because I told myself that he was still going to follow me. Actually not at all because he didn’t care at all! But above all I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my mother who had studied at the Medical University of Prague. It is the second oldest in Europe and it is a legend because it is very beautiful. The entrance exam was very difficult and it was almost mission impossible to pass, but I managed it! I felt like I was studying in a castle. It was truly a dream!

In your 3rd year of medicine, you were noticed by a talent scout from a French agency in the streets of Prague: did you quickly agree to go and try your luck in France?

Adriana Karembeu. Not at all because I flatly said no and twice. But they tried their luck again and offered me a plane ticket. Strangely, my father said to me: “Vhave it. You go see the Eiffel Tower and then you come back“. Usually, he never pushed me but here for once, he had a moment of pride and gentleness. My father has always been in love with France even if he speaks the language very poorly! Often, the weekend he listened to the song Brother Jacques and it remained engraved in my memory.

“I had the frustration of not being able to change my destiny”

You will then have an extraordinary career. Despite everything, you say that you had imposter syndrome for a long time because you didn’t think you were beautiful. For what ?

Adriana Karembeu. This job is based on pleasing others and I had this frustration of not really being able to change my destiny. This imposter syndrome was also linked, of course, to my father. Parents are supposed to be the two people who love you the most in the world. But when one of them tells you that you are good for nothing and that you will do nothing good in life, you believe them and it stays with you. It is so important to give your child confidence. I never knew how to live up to my father’s expectations.

You have always had pretty shapes. Were you forced to starve yourself like others to conform to the thinness codes of the time?

Adriana Karembeu. I didn’t really experience it as suffering because I’ve never been greedy. When I was little, I ate little and my grandfather kept telling me: “Eat, otherwise you will die.“I was very scared so I forced myself to eat. So it wasn’t my surprise when I arrived in France and was told that I was too round! I was almost happy to to say that I wasn’t going to die (laughs) Then I didn’t have to restrict myself much. I had a very thin waist, hips and chest but that’s what was required for the catalogs. When I was doing shows twice a year, I only had to lose a few pounds.

“I like alpha men”

In your book, you mention your two husbands, Christian Karembeu and Aram Ohanian, whom you describe as protective men. Do you like this character trait in men?

Adriana Karembeu. Effectively. I probably tried to seek the protection and love that my father didn’t give me. I like strong men, who are pillars and on whom I can count. I like those who call the shots even though I’m an alpha woman too! I like to follow men even if they have always consulted me before making decisions that concern us both. I always lived with men who loved me infinitely and who made me feel like I was important. But now it’s over: I like having the reins in hand. It’s a pleasure that I’m discovering and enjoying very much!

You were sexually assaulted by a French director when you were around 35 and you prefer not to name him…

Adriana Karembeu. It’s not that I don’t want to name him but I forgot his name! At the time, I didn’t want to talk about it because it wasn’t happening. We resolved things in our own way and alone. But I ran into him three weeks later while I was at a restaurant with Christian. He had the nerve to come up to me and ask me how I was like it was nothing! He did this because he knew I had kept silent! I hadn’t told my husband about it because I knew he would have turned it into dust.

It’s thanks to the show The extraordinary powers of the human body that you learned that you had high intellectual potential. How did you handle this news?
Adriana Karembeu. I didn’t believe it at first. When we suffer from imposter syndrome we tell ourselves that this can’t be possible. But when I read it in black and white, a weight was lifted.

In your book you say that you are now free. Are you finally at peace?

Adriana Karembeu. Totally. I always have a little apprehension when I take on challenges but it’s a positive stress. As in the past, I always try to do my best but I no longer get all worked up. A few days ago I participated in the shooting of a film and I loved this experience from A to Z! I no longer depend on anyone and I like having the power to decide alone.

Exclusive interview which cannot be repeated without mention of the Women’s Journal.