Camille was born in Morocco. Her mother was born in Oran, Algeria (a Spanish ‘pied-noir’), and her father was born in Lyon; he did his military service in Morocco. He met his wife there, and they settled in Morocco for his work.
Camille has made three major life changes. The first was in 1960 when the family returned to France – Camille was six years old – following 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 crèche there.
She pursued a career in paediatrics and really enjoyed working as an educator for young children. She was a pioneer in this hospital setting, where educating young, ill children was a new concept (a sick child is still a child in everyday life). The hospital also welcomed parents.
Camille loved singing and dancing, doing fun things with them, and running art, pottery and cookery workshops. It was a wonderful development in paediatrics at that time, with the implementation of the Charter for Hospitalised Children. This provided an environment that ensured their psychological, emotional and physical well-being.
Camille was in a relationship for 15 years, and they had a daughter who is now in her thirties.
How old are you and how old do you feel?
So how old do I feel? I don’t really ask myself that question. I’m 72, and I’m surprised by that. But I’d say it’s my mind that’s ageless. My body’s keeping up well, apart from some rheumatism in my fingers.
My diet, which has been free from cow’s milk lactose and gluten for nearly 30 years, helps me feel fit and well. I love eating fish and really good meat. I’m still a bit of a foodie.
What helps you maintain your physical, mental, and social well-being?
So, what helps me is staying active. Continuing to explore all my interests: theatre, dance, music and the like. And the joy of being with others – whether people I already know or new people to discover.
Personal growth: It’s always been fundamental for me to ask myself, ‘Who am I? What do I want?’. To work on myself.
I love music and theatre in all their forms. I’m very demanding, too. I love improvising. I sing all the time – you have to quiet me down! I can get on my loved ones’ nerves; I always have a song in my head. Inspiration comes from something I’m learning, a text, a poem or a song.
What advice do you have for aging well?
For me, the important thing is to keep moving, to have a cozy place to call home. And to strengthen our relations, family, friendship and social ties. To nurture our imaginations.
I don’t watch the news much; it weighs me down too much.
To explore one’s curiosity through food, nature and the world of expression and art.
Life expectancy 2023
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