STORY: Gisele Pelicot, who survived years of being raped while unconscious by her then-husband and dozens of other men he recruited, said on Wednesday (February 11) she wanted her forthcoming memoir to be a symbol of hope for other women facing abuse.

Pelicot, 73, said she had never regretted waiving her rights to anonymity and having the trial of her husband and his 50 co-defendants heard in private, in a case which shocked France and attracted worldwide attention.

“When you are a victim, you experience the shame I explained, which is a double punishment, but you also lose confidence in yourself”, she said.

“I hope that this book will give strength to all those women who don't dare to speak out.”

Dominique Pelicot, who admitted drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of men online to rape her while she was unconscious over nearly a decade, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. All of his 50 co-defendants were also found guilty of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.

Gisele Pelicot recounted how it took several hours to begin to realise what had happened to her, after a police officer showed her images found while investigating her husband of 50 years for trying to take photographs up women’s skirts in a supermarket in 2020.

After calling a friend to stay with her on the advice of the police, Pelicot said she felt as if her “life was truly going to collapse” as she told her friend she had been raped.

She said she had not spoken to Dominique Pelicot for more than five years, never addressing him directly in court during the trial, but that she wants to do so.

“It's also part of my healing process, to go and talk to him, look him straight in the eye, and ask him: ‘why? Why did you do this?’” she said.

Pelicot’s memoir, titled ‘A Hymn To Life: Shame Has To Change Sides’ in English, will be released in various languages on Feb. 17.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: MASS RAPE SURVIVOR, GISELE PELICOT, GIVING INTERVIEW AHEAD OF PUBLICATION OF HER MEMOIR, REUTERS FILE OF PELICOT DURING TRIAL

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 11, 2026) (FRANCE TELEVISIONS - No new uses after February 12, 2026 at 2000GMT, no zooming, editorial use only, must on-screen courtesy 'La Grande Librairie – Réal : Adrien Soland/Rosebud -F5')

1. INTERVIEWER SPEAKING TO MASS RAPE SURVIVOR, GISELE PELICOT, AND JOURNALIST WHO HELPED TO WRITE HER MEMOIR, JUDITH PERRIGNON, AHEAD OF BOOK’S PUBLICATION

2. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MASS RAPE SURVIVOR, GISELE PELICOT, SAYING (OVERLAID BY SHOTS OF INTERVIEWER AND AUDIENCE LISTENING):

“I absolutely do not regret opposing this closed-door hearing. I think I have never regretted that decision. And what I would like most of all is that, through this book, which is also a message of hope, I can tell all victims: "Never be ashamed and never lose confidence in yourselves." When you are a victim, you experience the shame I explained, which is a double punishment, but you also lose confidence in yourself. And I hope that this book will give strength to all those women who don't dare to speak out.”

3. PELICOT SITTING NEXT TO PERRIGNON SPEAKING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MASS RAPE SURVIVOR, GISELE PELICOT, SAYING (PART OVERLAID BY SHOT OF PELICOT SITTING WITH PERRIGNON):

“I called a friend because Mr. Perret (investigator) didn’t want me to stay alone in the house, since not all of these individuals (suspects) had been arrested yet. Only Mr. Pelicot was in custody. And then I told my friend Sylvie to come and join me. The moment she sat down in my living room, I told her: 'Listen, I have something serious to tell you. Dominique raped me and had me raped.' It was the first time I had said the word ‘rape’. And at that moment, I felt like my life was truly going to collapse.”

5. COVER OF PELICOT’S MEMOIR ‘A HYMN TO LIFE: SHAME HAS TO CHANGE SIDES’ ON SCREEN, PELICOT AND PERRIGNON SITTING FOR INTERVIEW

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) MASS RAPE SURVIVOR, GISELE PELICOT, SAYING (PART OVERLAID BY SHOT OF INTERVIEWER AND WIDE OF PELICOT):

“I wasn’t able to speak with Mr. Pelicot during the entire trial. When I spoke to Mr. Pelicot, I looked at the judge. I didn't speak directly to him. But I need to, yes. We haven't been able to talk for over five years. And it's also part of my healing process, to go and talk to him, look him straight in the eye, and ask him: ‘why? Why did you do this?’”

AVIGNON, FRANCE (FILE - NOVEMBER 20, 2024) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. VARIOUS OF MASS RAPE VICTIM, GISELE PELICOT, ARRIVING AT COURT

AVIGNON, FRANCE (FILE - NOVEMBER 18, 2024) (REUTERS - Access all)

8. PELICOT RECEIVING FLOWERS AND WALKING AWAY

9. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING PELICOT