Camille was born in Morocco. Her mum herself was born in Oran, Algeria, and her dad came from Lyon and did his military service in Morocco. That’s how he met his wife; they settled in Morocco to work. She has made three major life changes. The first was in 1960 when the family returned to France and Camille was six years old. Her mother was a ‘pied-noir’ (one of the French colonists who returned to France after Morocco’s independence). Until she was 13, her family lived in a small town on the border between Isère and Savoie.
The family then moved to Le Havre to follow her father’s work. As a young adult, Camille moved to Toulouse for her first job at a hospital nursery, thanks to her uncle, who worked in the Toulouse hospital administration. She was pursuing a career in the field of paediatrics and really enjoyed working as an early years educator. She was a pioneer in this hospital setting, where providing education for seriously ill young children was a new concept. Even though the children were ill, they were still children in their day-to-day lives. The centre also welcomed parents.
Camille loved singing and dancing, doing fun things with them, and running workshops on painting, pottery and cooking. That was a wonderful development in paediatrics at that time. She and her much-loved teams were able to put the Charter for Hospitalised Children into practice. This provided an environment that ensured the children’s psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Camille was in a relationship that lasted 15 years, from which she has a daughter who is now in her thirties. Her relationship with her partner was characterised by open-mindedness and independence.
How old are you and how old do you feel?
So, as for how old I feel, I don’t really ask myself that question. I’m 72, which surprises me. But I’d say my mind is ageless. My body’s holding up well, apart from a dental problem and rheumatism in my fingers.
My diet, which has been free from cow’s milk lactose and gluten for nearly 30 years, really helps me feel fit and well. This made me a bit of a loner 30 years ago – I felt like an alien back then. Nowadays, keeping a certain diet is more common. I love eating fish and really good meat, even though I eat very little of it. Otherwise, I’ve got quite a sweet tooth.
What helps you maintain your physical, mental, and social well-being?
Well, what helps me is keeping on the move. Continuing to explore all my interests. Theatre, dance, music and so on. And the joy of being with others, whether I already know them or am just getting to know them. To help me grow. It’s always been fundamental for me to find out who I am and what I want. To work on myself.
I love everything related to music and theatre. I’m very demanding too. I love improvising. I sing very often, you have to shut me up. I can get on my loved ones’ nerves; I always have a song in my head. Just walking, finding a rhythm that often comes to me. Inspiration comes from something I’m currently learning, a text, a poem, a song."
So I’ll say it again: keep moving and have a cozy place to call home. And nurture the bonds with family, friends and the wider community. Cultivate your imagination through improvisation, whether in theatre or music. I don’t watch the news, it gets me down too much. And I hardly watch any telly. I’m not part of the flock of sheep, on four legs with my head bent downwards.
There you go, lots of things like that. It’s all about movement and artistic exploration. All of this is one of the great reasons for living. But it’s also allowed me to be curious and to make the most of that curiosity.
What advice do you have for aging well?
Life expectancy 2023
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