Thomas Pesquet takes off. The French astronaut, who returned to Earth in November after several months aboard the International Space Station, will not be returning to space immediately. It was in the ranking of the favorite personalities of the French, produced by Ifop for the JDD and revealed on Sunday, December 26, that the 43-year-old polyglot took off. After 11th last year, he just jumped nine places to second in the top 50, just behind the unmistakable Jean-Jacques Goldman.
With this meteoric progression, Thomas Pesquet overtook actor Omar Sy, who clinched one place but remained on the podium. The astronaut is tied with Marion Cotillard, who has moved up three places since last year.
Since 2019, this ranking of the favorite personalities of the French has been equal. Respondents are asked to choose their favorite 25 male celebrities and 25 female celebrities each year. On the women’s side, Sophie Marceau took the lead for the third year in a row.
Thomas Pesquet, “the adventurer-explorer who makes you dream”
This year, Thomas Pesquet, who is enjoying growing popularity thanks to his two missions aboard the ISS, was therefore highly acclaimed. He does not have the same type of notoriety as a singer, like Florent Pagny (who is also 7th in the top 50), or an athlete, like Teddy Riner (8th, the same place as last year). This recognition comes from elsewhere.
“It is the adventurer-explorer who inspires dreams, like Commander Cousteau or the volcanologist Haroun Tazieff before him,” Frédéric Dabi, director general of Ifop, told JDD. “He also embodies France, which is doing well, which thinks big; Pesquet is our best anti-decline weapon. “
