元仏首相、脱毛症を告白 政治への意欲は衰えず

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】２０２７年仏大統領選の最有力候補と目されているエドゥアール・フィリップ元首相（５２）が２日、脱毛症を患っていると告白する一方、政治への意欲は衰えていないとアピールした。（写真は２０１９年１月７日〈左〉と２０２２年１１月３日のフィリップ元首相）
　フィリップ氏は新型コロナウイルスの流行のピーク時に対策の陣頭指揮を執り、トレードマークとなる茶色の顎ひげを生やした姿はテレビでもおなじみだった。
　２０２０年夏に首相を辞任。北部ノルマンディー地方の港湾都市ルアーブル市長に就任して以降、髪とひげが急に薄く白くなるなど外見が激変していた。
　仏ニュース専門局ＢＦＭＴＶのインタビューで、「こんなになってしまった。眉毛はなくなった。もう生えてこないと思う」「顎ひげも白くなり、少し薄くなった。髪の毛もだ」「口ひげも抜け落ちた。これでまた生えてきたら驚く」と述べた。
　「いわゆる脱毛症だ」と明かし、自己免疫疾患とされるこの病気について、「痛みも危険もなく、人にうつることもなく、深刻でもない」と説明。脱毛症が今後の政治生活の妨げになることはないとして、市政に対する意欲も国政に対する意欲もいささか衰えていないとアピールした。
　フィリップ氏は現在、中道派の新党「地平」を立ち上げ、エマニュエル・マクロン大統領の与党連合に協力しているが、独自路線も辞さない姿勢を見せている。
　フランス大統領は連続２期までに制限されており、一部専門家の間では、フィリップ氏がマクロン氏の後継者としての最有力候補と目されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/02/06-13:18）

France's former prime minister Edouard Philippe, a leading contender to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in 2027 elections, has opened up about a hair loss condition he says will not diminish his political ambition.
The 52-year-old politician, who spearheaded the government's fight against the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, was a familiar face on television with his trademark brown beard.
Since leaving the post in the summer of 2020 and working as mayor of the Normandy port of Le Havre, his appearance has drastically changed with his hair and beard thinning and turning white suddenly.
This is what had happened to me: I lost my eyebrows, and I don't think they will come back, he told BFMTV in an interview late Thursday.
My beard has turned white, it's falling out a bit and the hair too.
The moustache is gone, I don't know if it will come back, but I would be surprised, he said.
I have what is called alopecia, he added, opening up about the auto-immune condition that accelerates hair loss.
He said the condition was not painful, dangerous, contagious or serious.
Philippe's wry and avuncular style proved popular with many French and some speculated that his high approval ratings had caused tensions with Macron.
His personality -- he writes novels and boxes fanatically in his spare time -- has also sparked fascination.
He has now founded a new centrist party called Horizons that is allied with Macron's ruling faction but also unafraid of showing an independent streak.
Some analysts see Philippe as an obvious potential successor to Macron, who must leave office after serving the maximum two terms in 2027.
And Philippe insisted that his condition would not stand in the way of his political plans.
That doesn't stop me from being extremely ambitious for my city, he said referring to Le Havre.
Tellingly, he added: It doesn't stop me from being extremely ambitious for my country.
With France buffeted by strikes and protests as the government seeks to push through landmark pension reform, Philippe gave his full backing to Macron for the changes.
He said he supported the changes without ambiguity, without any bad note or any other kind of little complication.