In a documentary broadcast tonight on France 4, Lio looks back on the trials that have marked her life. In her confidences, the singer evokes a particularly bitter episode: the remarks made against her by Laurent Ruquier, during the Bertrand Cantat scandal, which she has never forgotten.
This Monday, October 13, 2025, at 9:05 p.m., France 4 is broadcasting the documentary Lio, dedicated to Helena Noguerra’s sister. She opened the doors to director Tristan Le Guillou on her life between London, where she was recording a new album composed by female artists such as Louane and Camille, and Mangualde, her native village in Portugal. Several topics were discussed, such as her disappointment with Laurent Ruquier, who had made inappropriate comments about the Bertrand Cantat affair, involving the death of Marie Trintignant, a close friend of the Belgian singer (sentenced to eight years in prison, he was granted parole in 2007, then granted full release in July 2010).
“After the death of her friend Marie Trintignant, Lio spoke out several times in the media to denounce what had happened, to denounce domestic violence (by Bertrand Cantat, editor’s note). And she paid for it in one way or another in her career. She was heavily criticized in the media for her stance, notably by Laurent Ruquier, who at the time had a highly listened-to show on Europe 1, one of the biggest radio stations in France.” says journalist and author Victoire Tuaillon, before an audio clip of the famous host is broadcast.
“In eight days, Lio has become the spokesperson for battered women and the Trintignant family. Both deserved better. The singer shouldn’t continue in the same vein. The least violent among us would end up having a minimum of understanding for the guy who repeatedly raised his hand to her (…) As any lawyer would say in this case, I didn’t start it,” we can hear. These words are hard to swallow for Diego’s mother: “He knows me. We’ve had a pretty good relationship for several years. So how is it possible that someone to whom I’m not a stranger—we know each other very well professionally—can unleash such misogyny on me?”
Lio and her stance on the Vilnius tragedy: “No one defended me at the time.”
She nevertheless preferred to ignore these statements: “I’ll cry later. But I’m not going to give that pleasure to the person who just beat me up.” It’s worth noting that she had already addressed this subject in the pages of Gala in 2018: “When, after the death of Marie Trintignant, whom I knew, I declared Cantat guilty, Laurent Ruquier violently accused me of trying to create a buzz. No one defended me at the time. Yet, I’m reasonable; I didn’t kill anyone. After #MeToo, this discourse of denial and disdain for the fate of women would probably no longer be acceptable. Kristina Rady (wife of Bertrand Cantat, from whom the singer separated after meeting Marie Trintignant, editor’s note) came to see me after one of my concerts and the tragedy in Vilnius. She wanted to protect her children, she said, she thought that after what he had done, he would realize his attitude. With perverse, narcissistic men, you never get over it.”
This is an opportunity to recall that Lio herself suffered beatings from a partner, the father of her twin daughters Garance and Léa. Painful memories that she also recalled during this documentary.
