Loana hoped to find love. That’s why Loana was tempted by Loft Story in 2001. Brand new, the reality TV concept was then new in France. The candidate was probably too naive when she stepped foot in it. After the scandal in the pool with Jean-Edouard, Loana tried to deal with this sudden notoriety. But it was too much, too strong, and too fast. The star passed away at the age of 48, after a life filled with many lows.
According to the initial findings of the investigation, Loana’s death could be related to a fall backward. Following her passing, tributes pour in, as well as regrets. Loana had been suffering for several years and was trying to face life’s challenges. Some people choose to remember the light that emanated from her despite everything and her struggle to be understood. This is the case of her publisher Thierry Billard. He worked with her on her book “Si dure est la nuit, si tendre est la vie,” published in 2018.
Context: Loana was a former reality TV contestant who passed away at the age of 48. Fact check: The article mentions the cause of Loana’s death as related to a fall, but this needs further verification.
“How did the first meeting between Loana and her publisher Thierry Billard unfold?”
“For me, Loana was a fragile icon, like Marilyn Monroe,” he says to Gala. Initially working under Flammarion, he remembers their first meeting, in his apartment in the XVIth arrondissement of Paris. Facing him, “it wasn’t the Loft Loana anymore,” but the woman he discovered touched him a lot. Loana’s frankness, despite being futilely aided by Alexia Laroche-Joubert, struck him. “She was telling things. The idea of a new book interested her, it was part of the things she ‘had to do,’ but she needed time,” explains Thierry Billard.
A desire that clashed with the difficulties Loana faced. “We could see she was on medication. Her fragility, we already knew it, but now, it was showing tangibly. She obviously needed this ‘crutch’ to hold on,” recalls the publisher. Steevy Boulay’s close friend followed a treatment, putting the creation of the book on hold to return to it later. Thierry Billard took up the project on his side, this time with Plon editions. “She really wanted people to see where she had been and understand that she wasn’t the person one could describe,” he affirms.
Context: The article discusses the relationship between Loana and her publisher Thierry Billard. Fact check: The details of Loana’s struggles and determination presented by Billard need to be further verified.
“What does the publisher Thierry Billard remember from his meeting with Loana?”
Loana, whose life was transcribed in the series “Culte,” was 100% involved in this book. “She did the interviews with Laurence Caracalla [co-author of the book, Editor’s note], when the manuscript arrived, she read it very closely, she even made corrections herself. She had impeccable spelling. Every email she sent, every sentence she wrote, was perfectly maintained,” acknowledges her publisher. This book was supposed to mark a new beginning.
Faced with harsh criticism about her appearance, Loana chose to own it on the cover. “She agreed to show herself differently, especially in terms of her outfit […] there, she had lost weight, and she was proud of herself,” recounts Thierry Billard. Loana also brought “her own clothes, her items, what she really liked” for an authentic rendering. And then, a heartbreaking observation: “When she was in the light, she was happy.” A happiness that came at a cost.
Context: The article delves into Loana’s involvement in a book project and her struggles with her public image. Fact check: The positive portrayal of Loana by her publisher Billard needs verification.
