Margriet Hermans

It is hard not to notice Margriet Hermans. She studied French, English and History and at the same time musical notation and singing before she started her television career. The story of a Belgian star.

At age 6 she joined the local choir Temploraria, where she was practising her powerful voice until her 34th birthday. She was a teacher before she was scouted by Marc Dex. He became her manager and Margriet first single, 'Too long on my own', was released. Two years later Margriet Hermans lost the national competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, but won the hearts of viewers and listeners throughout the country. She was invited to be part of a show with famous Flemish entertainers Gaston Berghmans and the late Leo Martin, in the Kusttheater of Blankenberge. It was a huge success and Margriet was asked to play a role in the movie 'Groeten uit Hong Kong' ('Greetings from Hong Kong'). 'A mini-appearance', according to Margriet.

In 1987 she joined Johan Verminnen's Baccara-team. She won a personality and a popularity prize at a renowned festival in the Middelkerke Casino. Her single 'Een vriend' ('A friend) was a real summer hit and Margiet Hermans became a crowd puller.

After hosting a regional radio show (Omroep Limburg), she got her own talk show, 'Margriet', on national television in 1989. She was the first woman to host a talk show in Belgian television history! Critics like Ben Crabbé and Jan Ceuleers were enthousiastic. Ceuleers said: "Margriet knows how to make all kinds of themes accessible to the general public in a quality show." The show aired until 1995, when it was replaced by 'Zomerkuren'.

In 1997 Margriet Hermans was asked to host a summer show, 'Coupe Margriet', a year later followed by 'Chez Margriet'. Famous guest talked about opportunities they failed to seize and got the chance to be who they always wanted to be for a day. Later she joined the controversial television show 'Zeg eens Euh' ('Say Euh'): "I know we play a banal game... but he, it's entertainment." Her last show on television was the quiz show 'Like father, like son' in 1997. Two years later she became a Member of Parliament for the liberal party, VLD, and was re-elected in 2004 for a new period of 5 years.