Estelle Lefébure opened up about her tumultuous childhood and family secrets during her emotionally charged appearance on France 2's "Un dimanche à la campagne" on March 23, 2025. The once-celebrated model and the ex-wife of rockstar David Hallyday revealed that she had never known she had half-sisters until after the death of her father.
During the poignant episode, hosted by Frédéric Lopez, Lefébure shared how her perspective on family drastically changed posthumously. "To tell you everything, I saw them for the first time when my father passed away, at the notary. There were two people there, and I thought, 'Who are they?' They were my father's daughters. My father had four daughters in total," she recounted. The revelations unveiled a hidden side of her family history that Lefébure grappled with for many years.
Recalling her late father's reaction at her birth, Lefébure disclosed, "When I was born, my father said, 'Oh, another girl!' He didn’t accept me right away. So he raised me like a boy. Thank goodness, because he gave me things he wouldn't have under different circumstances." Her tears reflected the emotional weight of these confessions that rippled through her recounting of an upbringing that was far from ordinary.
The emotional apex of Lefébure's visit came when she viewed a childhood photograph during the show, which stirred intense feelings of nostalgia. Lopez prompted her to share what she would tell her younger self, leading to an emotional outpour. "I would say... Go for it... there are wonderful things waiting for you, even if some things were tough," she said, her voice breaking as she fondly remembered her simple roots in Normandy.
Lefébure described her childhood home—a timeless residence between a police station and a school—where her parents, a hairdresser mother and a father who directed a large bolt factory, worked diligently. Despite the stable environment, she shared that her parents' tumultuous marriage left lasting scars. "I would hear a lot of things I shouldn’t have from my room above the living room. It was very painful," she lamented, underlining a dark aspect of her teenage life leading up to their divorce.
Her father's early absence in her life left a mark deep enough to influence her career path. "He always saw me as a model—he took pictures of me from the age of three!" she expressed, revealing the industry's harsh realities that awaited her. She acknowledged the pressures of the glamorous world of modeling, describing it as "toxic," riddled with temptations such as drugs and alcohol.
As the show progressed, Lefébure reflected on how she first met David Hallyday back in 1988 during the television show "Les uns et les autres." "When the recordings were about to start, there was a collapse of the stands. While waiting for them to fix it, I went down the stairs, and David was coming up. We looked at each other, and just then, I wondered if he'd turn around. And then he did, which set everything in motion for us," she recalled. Their romance launched quickly, culminating in marriage just under a year later on September 15, 1989.
Yet, shortly before their wedding, Lefébure learned about her father's critical illness. Despite this hardship, she recalled her mother's advice, which led her to uphold the wedding plans. She recounted the bittersweet irony of having her father pass away the day after she married Hallyday. "Life took away my father, but it also gave me a husband," she mused, reflecting on the tightrope of joy and sorrow that marked that chapter of her life.
Now a proud grandmother, Lefébure cherishes her family's legacy, embracing the joys her grandchildren bring. "I am proud to be a grandmother because I feel like I can offer something different to my grandchildren compared to their parents," she shared, hinting at a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment in her later years.
Through her heartfelt articulation of past pains and present joys, Estelle Lefébure's candid revelations on her upbringing prompt reflection on the complexities of familial relationships. Her journey showcases resilience, offering a relatable picture not just of her life as a public figure but of a woman navigating the layered fabric of personal history.
