This was a powerful reminder of love, care, and the purity of those formative relationships.
Marrakech – Gad Elmaleh recently appeared on Konbini’s “Small Talk” talk show, where he opened up about his childhood in Casablanca, sharing both funny and emotional memories.
During the show, which aired on December 11, Elmaleh reminisced about his early life, from being born at the Val d’Anfa clinic to having a crush on his first-grade teacher.
“For a basic reason, because she was blonde, and in Morocco, a blonde woman is a minority,” he recalled.
One of the most touching moments of the interview came when he spoke about Fatima, the woman who played a pivotal role in his upbringing.
“A few years ago, when I was in Morocco, I wanted to see the woman who was very present in my life and who also raised me. This woman is called Fatima,” Elmaleh said, deeply moved.
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That day, “there were a lot of people waiting for me, fans of the show who wanted to take pictures.”
“She came with her scarf, her djellaba, and sat in this very chic hotel. She said nothing, waiting very dignified… and when I finished, I went to sit with her, and I said I was sorry.”
Fatima reassured him, saying it was no big deal. She shared how it reminded her of when he was a baby, and she would take him for walks through the streets of Casablanca in his stroller.
His large, blue eyes would captivate everyone, causing them to stop and stare.
To explain their bond, she would pretend that he was her son.
Moved by this memory, Elmaleh reflected on how deeply it affected him.
He realized that what Fatima had seen in those moments was pure love, something far more genuine than the “star mode” he was caught up in at the time.
A few years earlier, in 2019, while he was a guest on the show “Ambition intime” (Intimate ambition), hosted by Karine Le Marchand, she surprised him by bringing Fatima to the set.
Faced with the woman who raised him, Elmaleh broke down in tears.
“This woman used to take me to school in the morning, would sing Arabic songs to me at night to help me sleep, saw me create my first sketches… She always had a very calm view of what I was doing, even when I started appearing on TV,” he explained.
