Invited on Mouloud Achour's show on Canal+, the producer spoke emotionally about the final months of Thierry Ardisson, who died on July 14, 2025, at the age of 76. She recounted her shock at the presenter's illness, discussed the documentary being prepared by Audrey Crespo-Mara, and revealed that she had reread his last book as if it were a final testament.
Catherine Barma reflects on the passing of Thierry Ardisson in Click
Facing Mouloud Achour, the presenter's former producer first described her surprise at learning of the seriousness of his health condition. "I had absolutely no idea he had cancer."she confided, explaining that a journalist had called her to tell her that Thierry Ardisson was "very ill".
Catherine Barma went on to mention that she knew the presenter had been under medical care for a long time, but she never imagined such a swift outcome. "I always knew he often had tests, that he had stomach and liver problems. But you know, that's just how people are; you know them for 20 years, they're always like that, they smoke, they drink, you say, basically they're immortal.", said the former producer of Thierry Ardisson.
Audrey Crespo-Mara's documentary at the heart of personal revelations
In this interview, Catherine Barma also recounted that Audrey Crespo-Mara had contacted her several months before her husband's death to participate in the documentary The Hidden Face of the Man in Black, later broadcast on TF1.
“Six months earlier, Audrey, his wife, had told me, ‘I’m going to make a documentary about him, you really need to be in it.’ At first, I wasn’t too keen on doing it, but I thought, ‘I can’t say no, I’ll do it.’ So, that was in November.”Catherine Barma explained.
She then recounted the exchange she said she had with Audrey Crespo-Mara shortly before Thierry Ardisson's death. "She told me, 'Yes, there are three or four days left, it's the end, that's all.'""I remember," she recalled, visibly very moved. As a reminder, Thierry Ardisson died in Paris on July 14, 2025, from liver cancer.
The Man in Blacka book reread as a testament
During the interview, Catherine Barma also revisited The Man in Black, the latest book by Thierry Ardisson.
"When he wrote his last book, at one point I thought to myself, 'It's strange that he's writing this; it almost seems like a last will and testament.'"And then, he's so provocative. And then I thought to myself "Well, yes, that was it.". And when I wrote to him to tell him that I loved his book, he told me he was so happy., she said.
A fragility that became increasingly visible in the final moments
Catherine Barma also revealed that she had discovered a more vulnerable side of Thierry Ardisson in recent months. "I didn't think he would show himself so much during his illness." I understood his fragility in his final moments, because every time we talked to him about things, like his father or something, I noticed he cried very easily. And Audrey told me that yes, towards the end, he was indeed that fragile.
