Richelle Harrison Plesse is an accomplished international journalist who many Aussies would recognise from reporting and news-reading on our screens. She did not grow up as a Francophile but conversely considered herself an Anglophile! She moved to London after finishing university where she met her French husband and moved to Paris pour l'amour!

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Richelle's career moved into a new field after her French move. She had been doing a lot of travel journalism, lifestyle and culture reporting, but moved into hard news. She had the best of both worlds then by being able to report international news as well as still connecting with all the cultural things she loved. 
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One of the most memorable experiences in France for Richelle was reporting on the 2015 terror attacks in Paris.  Richelle was singing on stage in a bar nearby at the same time and all within her venue could tell something tragic was unfolding from messages coming through to smart phones.  For the first time when Richelle talked about this, I saw the situation as it was for Paris locals. The resilience of the French people is formidable and the way Richelle described the way they have moved forward collectively as well as individually, is inspiring. 

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Richelle now doesn't necessarily think of herself as a Francophile but rather she identifies as being French. I did suggest though that one can be both! 
Discovering new corners of regional France is something I adore. Just like me Richelle is inspired by the history, architecture, culture and the lifestyle as well as just loving a meandering exploration in either Paris or a country region. Chatting to Richelle about these loves of mine was beautiful food for my aching FrancoFiler soul!

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Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
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Other Loulabelle's links:
FrancoFile Fix on YouTube
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Instagram
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles website