Gisèle Pelicot shares the question she wants to ask her ex-husband who drugged and raped her along with 50 other men

Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and rape which some readers may find distressing.

Gisèle Pelicot has confirmed she will see her ex-husband in prison and wants to ask him this one crucial question.

The Pelicot name became known around the world when Gisèle waived her right to anonymity as her husband faced very serious accusations.

Dominique Pelicot, had drugged and raped his now ex-wife for years between 2011 and 2020, and also invited over 50 other men to rape her while she was unconscious.

Dominique was arrested in 2020 for filming up women’s skirts in a supermarket and it was only after this that authorities learned of his depraved crimes, which he had documented.

Gisèle was unaware of the abuse at the time and has reflected on her initial reaction to learning the extent of the abuse.

Gisèle Pelicot recalled her initial reaction to learning of her ex-husband's crimes (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking in her first television interview, Gisèle said she froze when a detective showed her the images and videos of herself being assaulted.

Speaking on France 5, she said: “I don’t recognize myself in those photos. I said, 'That’s not me'. Then I put on my glasses, and there I discovered this lifeless woman with a man she didn’t know on her bed.

“I think my brain disassociated.”

In December 2024, Dominique was found guilty of aggravated rape, while he was also charged with attempted aggravated rape, and taking indecent images of his daughter, Caroline, and his daughters-in-law.

Dominique has since been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison

Despite not speaking to her now ex-husband in court, Gisèle has said she still has one question she wants to ask him.

Gisèle has said she will visit her ex-husband in prison as part of her healing journey (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

She said: “I want to look him directly in the eye and ask him, ‘Why did you do that?’’

She also said she intends to visit her ex-husband in prison as part of her healing process.

Ahead of the release of her new memoir, A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides, she has also said that she is pleased she has been able to shift the narrative around sexual violence in France and around the world.

Reflecting on the decision to waive anonymity, Gisele said her decision was in solidarity with all the other women who go unrecognized as victims of sexual crimes.

She previously told the court: “I have decided not to be ashamed, I have done nothing wrong. They are the ones who must be ashamed.

“I’m not expressing hatred or hate, but I am determined that things change in this society.”

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org

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