People interview

PHOTOS: Renovations to our maison de maître have made us YouTube stars in France

Rebecca and Jack Jenkins fell in love with a dilapidated property in Charente, south western France, and fixing it up brought an added bonus

I fell in love with wild, beautiful Cévennes in south-central France

Award-winning US poet Zaro Weil on why this remote part of France is a major inspiration for her work

Career change in France: From actress to estate agent

Jacqueline Reddin-Williams describes her journey to become a 'property matchmaker'

magazine

I moved to France and became a mountain guide

What inspired one British woman to settle in the Alps change careers

My story: I moved to France and became a botanical artist

Kate Churchwell explains quitting the ‘rat race’ in the City to pursue her passion for plants and art

French conductor Zahia Ziouani fights inequality with classical music

The award-winning conductor talks about beating ‘boys club’ attitudes and film about her life. She recently headed the orchestra which performed at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Why this little French fish has its own quality label

The famed Collioure anchovy is the only fish in France with a prestigious PGI label, but why it is such a gourmet favourite?

'Well paid, looked after' British jockey James Reveley on life in France

Mr Reveley tells The Connexion about how the sport differs in France and elsewhere, the tribulations of French paperwork... and if he would plump for horsemeat at the dinner table

The National's Bryce Dessner now calls France his home

The Connexion caught up with the US rock star ahead of his concert in Paris on June 5, discussing his life and experiences in France, and his career to date

How a Frenchman became a GI on Omaha beach in WW2

'All he could think about was getting safely to his mother, terrified that he might die so close to home'

French family battles Huntington's through sporting challenges

Calvados-based father, son and daughter go the extra mile to raise money to fight disease

Career change in France: from police officer to gardener

Amanda Freeman explains how she swapped law and order for a more creative vocation in the French countryside

‘Climate change should interest more people than it does’

France’s go-to expert on global warming and bestselling author, Jean-Marc Jancovici, talks to us about the future of our planet

Installing a natural pool at French home led to a new job

Alex Wells explains how building her own chlorine-free swimming pool led to a new role

Fixing France: ‘We must face colonial past and revive shared values’

French-Algerian author Nabila Ramdani tells us why ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ must apply to everyone if France is to repair

‘I hit rock bottom, learned to swim and then swam the Channel’

A childhood dream of swimming the English Channel got Stève Stievenart through divorce and depression

France’s ‘Iron man’: ‘I had this crazy dream of flying even higher’

He tells us how hard it is to fly and why he keeps inventing despite French bureaucracy and nosy neighbours

‘We travel slowly through France in our tiny horse-drawn caravan’

With just 7m² of living space pulled by a horse called Zorba, this Bordeaux couple enjoy being kings of their own clock

‘Rugby is the reason for my move to France’

International rugby referee shares his love of Gers and the difference between French and English rugby

Interview with Ibrahim Maalouf: ‘I compose what comes from my heart’

The Lebanese-born French trumpeter tells us of his influences, collaborations and why he preaches the message of love

The Franco-Scottish teen on track to break mountain-climbing record

Alasdair McKenzie aims to become the youngest person ever to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world, and he is well on his way

‘Hand-delivering letters across France is slow and full of love’

The retiree dubbed The Humane Postman shares what delivering ‘important but not urgent’ messages has taught him about humanity

Meet British singer-songwriter Terry Scott Jr, based in Normandy

He got his big break in 1970 playing in front of 600,000 people at the Isle of Wight festival

The pioneering Brit who was French town’s first foreign councillor

Cycle campaigning and city pride were a springboard to role in local politics in Albi

Meet Nicolas Sarkozy’s former communications chief, Thierry Saussez

He discusses his brainchild Villes & Villages: où il fait bon vivre, and his business that aims to defeat French pessimism

‘I played bad classical music because the male composer was famous’

We speak to a French cellist about her lifelong quest to put a spotlight on forgotten female musicians

How to avoid the wait for a driving test in France

France first-hand: Learning to drive - we speak to Libby Abel, who moved to Brittany as a toddler, about her learning to drive experience

‘The first baby hedgehog we rescued was love-at-first-sight’

We speak to an expert about her hedgehog health centre and how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly

Paris street cleaner is TikTok sensation with a serious message

We talk to the social media star about getting kicked out of the army, being homeless and his viral litter videos

Inside France’s ‘UFO Bureau’ - ‘we explain what people have seen’

We talk to the head of Geipan, a tiny wing of France’s answer to Nasa that inspired a Canal + TV show

Franco-Australian former water ski star nominated for top magic prize

Zatanna tells of magical transition from sport to illusions and mentalism, and how her ‘very British’ show is shortlisted for ‘Oscars’ of the magic world

French abroad are valued as our local ambassadors, says senator

UK-based Olivier Cadic says France’s system for support of its citizens abroad is best in world. Brexit caused issues but UK attitudes are much better again, he adds

France’s 84-year-old globetrotting ‘Tintin’ shares his life lessons

We talk to a French adventurer about his amazing life on the road, the wisdom he picked up and how he thrived on a dollar a day

‘France-UK ‘détente’ only possible if Northern Ireland issue resolved’

Former UK ambassador to France says improving relationship at risk if government continues to support NI bill; warns of EU Entry-Exit System ‘chaos’ next year

‘Stupidity and provocation are trendier than well-articulated thought’

French physicist and philosopher Etienne Klein talks to us about his infamous ‘chorizo’ star tweet, post-truth and if technology is dangerous for democracy

‘We found balance between joy and frugality living off-grid in France’

A French couple have not had a water bill for 48 years but their mission has always been to save the planet rather than save money

‘We sailed to France on a barge and took our time house hunting’

Moving to France on their own boat took the pressure off finding a perfect home for this UK couple

‘I returned to UK from France, did not feel at home so came back’

A Connexion reader tells how she enjoyed her new life in Dorset but after time – especially following the Brexit vote – realised her heart was still in France

Odd guests and bad reviews - eight tips to running a B&B in France

We spoke to a Danish couple who moved to France for a quiet life but started a five-star ‘chambres d’hôtes’ instead

The Londoners who ‘fell into the trap’ of buying a big French property

Initially seduced by property prices in France, the couple have downsized three times

Finding Lucy with French paleontologist Yves Coppens

Forty-five years ago, a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton was found in southern Ethiopia that changed our understanding of human evolution forever. Paleontologist Yves Coppens was one of the team that found her. Here, he tells The Connexion about his career

Hebrew, Spanish, Esperanto: readers speak more than English and French

We asked what languages you know and how you learned them following the story of the American who can speak 24

Career change: UK charity CEO close to burnout found balance in France

Claudia Ryan-Jones, 52, moved her family to France in 2017 and swapped a stressful job in youth work for a remote admin role and loves it

Managing one of France’s biggest charities ‘makes life worth living’

Henriette Steinberg has devoted her life to the Secours Populaire and is now its secretary general. She also manages to find time to run a bookshop

'I feel lucky to be among the last British Erasmus students in France'

‘I’ve had the pleasure of observing the daily rhythms and routines of a culture that, despite its proximity to Dover, seems almost alien at times’

Lawyer to chef: My hobby inspired me to open a crêperie in French Alps

‘I had what I now see as a bit of a midlife crisis!’ says American Rachel Howard

Simon Beck: The artist reveals the secrets of his snowshoe drawings

‘When I did my first drawing I was amazed to see how good it looked from a chairlift the next day,’ the former cartographer told The Connexion

International Women’s Day: Three French women who beat the odds

To mark the annual March 8 event, we speak to a pilot, a dairy farmer and a ski patroller about the challenges they faced to do something they love

Greenpeace France: Tackling climate change is our priority

‘France is one of the very rare countries with a long coastline which does not yet have even one offshore wind turbine,’ the head of the association in France tells The Connexion

In France you are more responsible for yourself, says UK adventurer

A French resident of nearly 20 years, Jerry Gore talks about his life of adventure, climbing mountains, living with diabetes and why he loves his life in the southern Alps

From chateau to treehouse: How Covid changed our French B&B business

Andy and Natalie Solomon share their story of how the pandemic transformed their hospitality business

French-British snowboarder Charlotte Banks aims for Olympic success

With the Winter Olympics officially kicking off today, the 2021 snowboard cross world champion tells us about her Anglo-French upbringing and switch to team GB

Meet the woman who inspired Netflix’s 'Emily in Paris'

Critics have dubbed this new show as clichéd and “frankly misleading” but Rebecca Leffler, the real American in Paris, tells how it's really quite true to life

How I changed career: TV researcher to English teacher in France

From Nothing Hill to Perpignan, Louise Sayers tells us how professional life can sometimes be wonderfully surprising. ‘I have found my niche,’ she says

Reader experiences: Dealing with a burglary in France

Readers offer advice to others who may find themselves in the same situation and need to deal with police and insurance issues

‘I knew I would be an actress but writing was my private ambition’

She was well-known as an actress before making her name as an author, but Carol Drinkwater says writing was always her first love

The campaigner who is changing the world - one petition at a time

Change.org director Sarah Durieux talks about giving power to the people and choosing your battles

Thomas Pesquet: From training in Moscow to lift off in Florida

Today is T-minus zero for France's 'rockstar astronaut,' the first French commander of the ISS. From the archives, read our 2011 interview back when he was a 32-year-old commander-in-training

France's corruption problem: Why Sarkozy trial is just the beginning

We need further cases like the one against the former French president to root out corruption in other high places, says anti-corruption association

'I am the novelist I am because of Carcassonne'

Novelist Kate Mosse speaks about Carcassonne and her second novel in a series set there during the Wars of Religion

Making a success of a French restaurant in 2020

‘Young apprentices do not know the basics anymore’ Adrien Descouls was semi-finalist in the M6 reality show Top Chef in 2018.

French midwife with tales of the unexpected to tell

Sylvie Coché estimates she has helped deliver more than 10,000 babies in her career. There’s no wonder she had a few stories to tell in her book

I grew up in France but now ski for the UK

A British-French skiing champion who grew up in Grenoble but now competes for the UK’s national ski team has told Connexion of his Olympic dreams.

British designer behind south of France fashion empire

Beverly Smart moved from London to Lagrasse 31 years ago but it was her need to make money that started a successful business, she tells The Connexion

Music is a universal language, says Dame Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn became a star when her songs of wistful love and patriotism became popular in Britain during World War Two.

Meet the French man who saved the peregrine falcon

Raphaël Arnaud looks back on a lifetime of protecting the world’s most endangered birds

Being a descendant of the Eiffel Tower's creator

Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, 49, is a producer, writer-director & series creator and founder of French animation company Sav! The World Productions. He is also the vice president of the Association des Descendants de Gustave Eiffel, and the great-great-great-grandson of Gustave Eiffel