Entertainment · Celebrity · 10 hrs ago
Olivier Marchal appears publicly with new partner Despina Athanassiadis
Olivier Marchal appeared with Despina Athanassiadis at a cinema festival in Cassis, in southern France, on 16 October.
The 67-year-old actor and director posed closely with Athanassiadis, making their relationship public.
Athanassiadis is a filmmaker, actor and singer of Greek origin who has made several short films and released an electro-pop album under the name Despina Ricci.
Marchal and actor Catherine Marchal have been separated since 2015 but remain married.
They have four children and, according to Marchal, have stayed close and sometimes spend holidays together.
The couple’s appearance drew attention at the festival, where Marchal inaugurated a bench bearing his name.
How they met and when their relationship began have not been disclosed.
Olivier Marchal appeared publicly with his new partner, Despina Athanassiadis, at a film event in Cassis on 16 October 2026.
The actor and director posed closely with Athanassiadis during the inauguration of a bench bearing his name.
Athanassiadis is an actress, director and singer who trained in directing and screenwriting at ESRA Paris.
Marchal and his former wife, Catherine Marchal, have been separated since 2015 but have not divorced.
The circumstances of Marchal and Athanassiadis’s meeting and when their relationship began have not been disclosed.
- Who
- Olivier Marchal and his new partner, Despina Athanassiadis.
- What
- Marchal appeared publicly with Athanassiadis and posed with her at a film event.
- When
- 16 October 2026.
- Where
- Cassis, France, during the Plans Séquences French Film Festival.
- Why
- Marchal was attending the festival and inaugurating a bench bearing his name.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Plans Séquences French Film Festival began in Cassis, and Marchal inaugurated a bench bearing his name while appearing with Athanassiadis.
The five-day festival was scheduled to close.
- Public appearance
- 16 October 2026
- Location
- Cassis, France
- Festival
- Plans Séquences French Film Festival
- Former wife
- Catherine Marchal
- Separation
- 2015
- Athanassiadis’s album
- What I Am, released in 2011 as Despina Ricci
3 sources
Olivier Marchal prend la pose avec sa nouvelle compagne sur la côte méditerranéenne
11 ans après sa séparation, Olivier Marchal a retrouvé l’amour : à Cassis pour une grande occasion, il rayonne au côté de sa compagne Despina, elle aussi réalisatrice !
Olivier Marchal séparé de Catherine Marchal : qui est Despina Athanassiadis, sa nouvelle compagne
What people are saying
We don’t have time to get divorced, we can’t be bothered and there’s no point.
Catherine is like my sister.