Settled in Paris for two years, Théo Curin lives at a hellish pace.

The Lorrain, returning from a lively evening at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, receives AFP in the early morning for a busy day and all in all rather... ordinary for him.

After slamming the door to his apartment, he goes straight to his car.

Direction the southwestern suburbs for the final adjustments of his new vehicle which he is impatiently awaiting.

Théo Curin passed the license at 18 and has been driving ever since, with his leg prostheses and a lever on the right side of the steering wheel into which he inserts his stump.

"The First to Try"

"I don't have a job. And I don't want to be just a sportsman, just an actor. What I like is this diversity, trying lots of experiences and maybe one day making choices. With the "idea of ​​progressing in these areas. I am a novice in everything I do, I learn on the ground and that's what I like", underlines Curin, a permanent childish smile.

After collecting three world medals and participating in the Paralympic Games in 2016, he closed the competition chapter to engage in adventurous challenges.

Last November, he successfully crossed Lake Titicaca independently with swimmer Malia Metella and adventurer Matthieu Witvoet.

This time, he is preparing for a solo journey: swimming 57 km during the legendary open water race Santa Fe-Coronda, Argentina.

What no disabled swimmer has yet done.

"It's hard for me to move forward in life without something to project myself. I had nothing to get up in the morning (after the challenge on Lake Titicaca). I had been told about this famous race Swimming for 15 hours, I've never done that in my life", he says, "always with this idea of ​​wanting to be the first to try, to mark the spirits".

Théo Curin, actor, model, extreme swimmer, lecturer, four-limb amputee, June 17, 2022 in Monaco Valery HACHE AFP/Archives

"For me"

And it was in the afternoon of this busy day that Curin threw himself into the water of the outdoor pool at La Croix Catelan to train, again and again.

Not without having previously exchanged a few text messages with his mother, then his older sister, who bombards him with photos of his little boy, of whom Théo Curin is the “senior uncle”.

Addicted to sport which "brings him back to real life", Curin is also an actor with a TV movie broadcast in May on TF1 ("Handigang"), a role in the cult series "Plus belle la vie" (France 3) but also in the "Cloakrooms" series (France 2).

He hosts a column in the "Magazine de la Santé" (France 5), plays guest-stars on TV game sets ("Fort Boyard", "Pékin Express"), poses to embody men's skincare products of the Biotherm brand and invests in a collection of Lacoste clothing, "which makes everyday life easier while remaining fashionable!"

"Everything I do today is for me first. I'm grateful, I'm lucky to have the opportunities I have today, a lot of people would like to be in my place. And if in a second time it can inspire some people or re-motivate those who need it, so much the better. It's also a reward for me", slips the one who would not "even dare to dream" of everything he lives today.

Théo Curin, actor, model, extreme swimmer, lecturer, four-legged amputee, on arrival from his swimming crossing of Lake Titicaca on November 20, 2021 in Peru Carlos MAMANI AFP / Archives

The day is coming to an end.

Well, not exactly.

Now it's time to see "friends"!: "I'm 22 years old, it's time to have fun with people I like!"

© 2022 AFP