On Saturday, April 18, Nathalie Baye’s family announced the death of the actress at the age of 77. A true icon of French cinema, she is also known for her relationships with Johnny Hallyday, Philippe Léotard, and Jean-Louis Borloo.
After the media frenzy surrounding her love story with Johnny Hallyday, Nathalie Baye preferred to remain discreet about her private life. Remembered for her numerous performances in cinema, her love life also attracted a lot of attention. It was during her early days in cinema, on the set of her first film, “Faustine et le bel été” directed by Nina Companeez, that the actress, who passed away on Saturday, April 18 at the age of 77, met her first great love: Philippe Léotard. At that time, she was 24 years old, while he was 32, married to actress Liliane Caulier with two children. Struck by love at first sight, he decided to leave his wife and children for the young actress. For 10 years, the couple lived in an intense and fused relationship. However, Philippe Léotard’s drug addiction frequently disrupted their moments of happiness.
“Philippe Léotard was a fantastic man and artist. Unfortunately, he was self-destructive and trapped in alcohol and drug addiction. At first, he smoked some joints, and then, when he started taking stronger drugs, he couldn’t get out of it,” said Laura Smet’s mother to the Journal du Dimanche in 2022. Despite her efforts to take care of him during these difficult times, she could not save him or their love story.
“After his separation from Philippe Léotard, Nathalie Baye met Johnny Hallyday during the TV show ‘Formule 1+1’. While their love story captivated the public, nothing seemed to indicate that they would have such a romance. The two stars were opposites in every way: she, a serious actress and good student, he, an unlimited rockstar. ‘I didn’t want him. Johnny wasn’t my type,’ Nathalie Baye explained to L’Express in 2017 before recounting their meeting. ‘Johnny arrived an hour and a half late, which irritated me. And then I saw a very shy man, surrounded by guys all tanned and blond. I found him very touching,'” the article reads.
Ultimately, love overshadowed their differences. Nathalie Baye and Johnny Hallyday moved in together and became parents to a daughter in 1983, Laura Smet. However, this highly publicized passion came to an end in March 1986. Despite this, the singer and the actress remained close, and the latter did not hesitate to praise the father of her daughter whenever she had the chance.
After her highly publicized relationship with Johnny Hallyday, Nathalie Baye refrained from exposing her private life as she had done before. In the late 1980s, she reportedly had a brief relationship with Pierre Lescure, then CEO of Canal+. In the 1990s, she entered into a love affair with Jean-Louis Borloo, who was the mayor of Valenciennes. They apparently met while she was on vacation in Saint-Tropez with her daughter, Laura. The actress and the future Minister of the Economy tried to keep this relationship secret, but some paparazzi allegedly took photos of them.
Jean-Louis Borloo eventually managed to have the photos removed, never to be seen again. Nathalie Baye and Jean-Louis Borloo eventually ended their relationship but remained friends. The politician was by her side when she received the Legion of Honor in 2009 and attended Laura Smet’s wedding with Raphaël Lancrey-Javal in 2019. Despite rumors of other relationships since her breakup with Jean-Louis Borloo, no one knows who was by her side in her final moments.
