Star news anchor steps down as her partner launches French presidential bid
Léa Salamé will step back as anchor of the 20h news show during Raphaël Glucksmann’s campaign.
Journalist Léa Salamé announced she will temporarily step down from her role anchoring France's primetime news broadcast, the 20h, to allow her partner Raphaël Glucksmann to run for the presidency. Speaking on Instagram, Salamé stated, "The 20h is a strategic platform where interviews with the candidates and campaign reports will be among the highlights of the coming year. Wherever the campaign takes place, I'll step aside. Everywhere else, I am and will remain a journalist."
This decision comes after Glucksmann announced his presidential candidacy on TF1, France's main competitor in the evening news. Salamé, who has been dating Glucksmann for over a decade, acknowledged potential conflicts of interest if Glucksmann were to join the race. Glucksmann told TF1, "As with any couple, when one person's decision has such a strong impact on the other's life, we had long conversations."
France has seen high-profile journalists involved in relationships with politicians, but Salamé had previously stated she would recuse herself from political coverage if Glucksmann ran for president. She said the decision was "obvious and difficult," driven by her strict code of ethics and her love for the news program they had built together.
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