Dominique also invited 72 men in total, contacted through a website, to rape her while she was unconscious, mostly in the couple's home in Mazan.

Gisèle only became aware of the abuse in 2020, when Dominique was arrested for upskirting women in a local supermarket and a police search of his computer equipment revealed images of her being raped.

The trial attracted worldwide media attention, and Gisèle's courage and determination to speak out on behalf of all victims of sexual assault won her widespread international support and admiration.

Born on 7 December 1952 in the city of Villingen in the southern part of West Germany, Gisèle Pelicot is the daughter of a French soldier.

[8] On retirement in 2013, the Pelicots moved to Mazan in southeastern France, renting a house with a garden and swimming pool.

Gisèle suffered memory lapses due to the drugs; she worried that she might have Alzheimer's disease or a brain tumour, but tests came back negative.

Gisèle recalled the day, 2 November 2020, when they were called into the police station and she was shown videos of her abuse: "Everything caved in, everything I built for 50 years".

His lawyer said he did not want to impose another ordeal on Gisèle or risk incurring further charges and a longer prison sentence.

Speaking on 19 December after the trial, Gisèle stated:[19]I wanted when I started on 2 September to ensure that society could actually see what was happening and I never have regretted this decision.

She left court each day to applause from people gathered outside, her image appeared in street art, and supportive slogans were pasted on walls around the courthouse.

[15] She was thanked by French President Emmanuel Macron for her "dignity and courage",[24] and applauded on X by foreign leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

[26] On the same date, British journalist Catherine Mayer set up a petition calling for Gisèle to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

[27] On 2 January 2025, Gisèle was named personality of the year in a French opinion poll, narrowly beating Donald Trump.