It is not easy to be dependent on alcohol and/or drugs. It’s even more difficult to get out of this addiction and start a new life. And yet, Olivier Marchal did it. He now feels much better about himself, with 10 kilos less.
You need to have courage and great strength of character to succeed in overcoming your addiction to drugs and alcohol. Olivier Marchal did it and he is no less proud of it. He now leads a much healthier life, and that suits him just fine.
He has lost 10 kilos and feels even more motivated to carry out his professional projects.
On the private level, the director formed with Catherine Marchal one of the mythical couples of French cinema. After 20 long years of marriage, they decided to separate, without divorcing. What’s more, they have kept excellent relations and live…under the same roof. They made this decision for the well-being of their 4 children.
Zoom in on this couple apart.
ABSORBED BY ADDICTION, THE ACTOR MANAGES TO GET RID OF IT AND START A HEALTHY LIFE
Olivier Marchal is an artist known for his undeniable talent, but also for his legendary outspokenness. Granting an interview to Jordan De Luxe, the actor spoke about several aspects of his life, in particular the time during which he suffered from various addictions.
For information, for several years, Olivier Marchal sank into the consumption of drugs and alcohol; he willingly acknowledges this:
“I was far into alcohol, drugs and a lot of things. I am a man of excess”.
Before adding:
“I like bars and I like the dark side of life”.
Fortunately, he found the strength to pull himself together and cross to the other side. Indeed, the director has made a new start, marked by a healthy lifestyle:
“I don’t drink anymore. More bread, more cheese, more desserts. Only vegetables and diet creams”,
he explained.
The positive effects were not long in being felt:
“At my age, if I want to continue, before becoming an old man, I want to preserve myself. I want to feel lighter, younger, because we find the body we had when we were 30 years old. It just makes it easier to work,”
he confided.
This new way of life is rather successful for him since he has lost 10 kilos. However, he admits to drinking one or two glasses of alcohol on an occasional basis.
20 YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND 4 CHILDREN TO RAISE
On the sentimental level, Olivier Marchal lived for several years alongside the one who is still his wife despite their breakup: Catherine Marchal. They formed one of the emblematic couples of French cinema.
Catherine Quiniou and Olivier Marchal met in the 1990s. They married in 1995 and had the pleasure of welcoming their four children: Léa (born in 1994), Zoé (born in 1998), Ninon (born in 2006 ) and Basil (born in 2009).
While everything seemed to be in good shape, the couple separated in 2015. The two actors actually decided to break up, without divorcing. They have stayed in touch and even share the same house.
They obviously decided to keep good relations for the sake of their children. Asked about the reason that prevents them from divorcing, they had the same answer:
“We don’t have time to get divorced”,
blurted out Olivier.
Same story with Catherine:
“We don’t have time to divorce, we’re lazy and it’s useless (…). It does not change much (…). Our separation is digested and everything is fine”,
she said.
Their children remain their priority. Despite their particularly busy schedules, Olivier and Catherine find time to devote to the education of their offspring:
“Our children are raised by both parents. Our relationship is unique, our couple exists, and the rest is private.”
said Olivier Marchal.
SEPARATED, BUT LIVING UNDER THE SAME ROOF: HOW OLIVIER AND CATHERINE MARCHAL SAVED THEIR RELATIONSHIP
If being separated after 20 years of marriage without ever divorcing can be strange, the decision to live in the same house is even more so. They made this decision for one and only reason: the well-being of their children. They did not wish to decide the question of parental custody in court:
“You can’t ask two actors to practice joint custody, it’s the one who doesn’t shoot who is there and then that’s it”,
Catherine explained.
The fact of living with Olivier in their apartment in the 11th arrondissement of Paris has no impact on their relationship, especially since they do not meet very often.
“We have been separated for six years. It’s quite digested. But everything is fine! We continue to be a parental couple, to work together, to get along well and to have a good laugh”,
she confided in 2021.
Each of the parents plays a very specific role in their family and in the education of their children, and it is not Zoé Marchal who will say the opposite:
“My father Olivier is a kind of friend, and my mother embodies order and authority. To sum up, if I need a paper, I ask her,”
said the young actress.
However, this takes absolutely nothing away from the love she feels for her mother. Moreover, she has great respect for him:
“She’s a wonderful actress. She’s a great mom who is my best friend, my sister and my better half”,
she said.
For her part, Catherine Marchal remembers that her relationship with Zoé was not always healthy:
“Between us there was some friction, and then more. We mistakenly call ‘adolescent crisis’ this moment of life when a young person is in the process of finding his values and expressing them. It is up to us to adapt”.
Harmony reigns in this unique family, which could serve as an example to us.
