Woman, 37, shot in the face in the 2015 Bataclan terror attack speaks of her long recovery

‘A part of me disappeared’: Woman, 37, who was shot in the face in the 2015 Bataclan terror attack reveals her long road to recovery, including 25 surgeries

  • Gaelle Chevalier, 37, survived the terror attack in Paris in November, 2015
  • Terrorists smashed their way in to the Bataclan theatre, killing 90 people
  • She was shot in the arm and face, with bullets destroying her jaw on her left side
  • The jihadist attacks in Paris left 130 people dead and more than 400 injured 

A woman who survived the 2015 Paris terror attack has spoken of her journey to recovery after she was shot in the face by the Islamist assailants.

Gaelle Chevalier was at the Bataclan theatre on November 13, 2015, where 90 people died when terrorists smashed their way in to an Eagles of Death Metal concert and opened fire.

The 37-year-old was shot in the arm and face, with bullets tearing apart her jaw on her left side, and she has since had some 25 surgeries to restore her looks.

Recovering: Gaelle Chevalier, 37, was shot in the arm and face when terrorists smashed their way in to the Bataclan theatre in Paris in November 2015

Speaking to the Mirror, she said that ‘a part of me disappeared but another part of me was born.’

Ms Chevalier, who has a seven-year-old son, was attending the concert with a friend named Matthieu, who did not survive the attack. 

The pair had been standing by the bar, and Ms Chevalier was one of the few survivors in that part of the venue. 

When police arrived she was surrounded by bodies, her face and arm seriously injured.

‘Then there was that moment when I finally took my courage in both hands and I got up holding my arm, and telling myself that to save my skin I really had to get out of there.’

She reveals she sometimes has flashbacks of that horrific evening, noises and smells which come back to her ‘usually during the night when I’m going to bed, or suddenly during the day’. 

Before: The 37-year-old, pictured before the attack, was hit on the left side of her face, and she says she has since had some 25 surgeries to restore her visage

Before: The 37-year-old, pictured before the attack, was hit on the left side of her face, and she says she has since had some 25 surgeries to restore her visage

A commemorative plaque and flowers are pictured at the entrance of the Bataclan concert hall before a ceremony marking the third anniversary of the Paris attacks of November 2015 in which 130 people were killed

A commemorative plaque and flowers are pictured at the entrance of the Bataclan concert hall before a ceremony marking the third anniversary of the Paris attacks of November 2015 in which 130 people were killed

Ms Chevalier has had some 25 surgeries since that day, including using a part of her calf bone to reconstruct her jaw, and is now on the board of directors of a Paris attack support organisation called 13/11/15 for survivors and families of victims.  

The terror attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, were carried out by three separate teams of terrorists, some of whom had fought in Syria and were smuggled back into Europe among refugees.

Among their targets was the Stade de France – where the French national team were playing a friendly match against Germany.

A second team then targeted restaurants and bars along the Canal Saint-Martin, while a third carried out the massacre and hostage-taking at the Bataclan theatre.

The Islamist terrorist attackers killed 130 people, including the 90 who died in the Bataclan, and injured more than 400. 

The attacks, which were the deadliest in France since the end of the Second World War, prompted a three-month state of emergency to tackle terrorism.

The attacks also prompted France to increase its contributions to the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, including several large-scale bombing raids.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk