Village torn apart by wealthy French shepherd whose marriage to blonde Parisian estate agent was heckled by neighbours only to 'cut her out of his will weeks before he died in car crash'
A wealthy French hermit, whose
marriage to a glamorous Parisian estate agent made headlines around the
world, cut her out of his will before he died.
The marriage of toothless land owner Marcel Amphoux to Sandrine Devillard, who was 25 years his junior, caused controversy in France after residents in Puy-Saint-Pierre turned out to boo and whistle throughout the ceremony.
They said they were concerned about Devillard's motivation for marrying the 68-year-old, who lived in a hut close to the Italian border without electricity or running water.
Amphoux, who died in a crash in November, owned five shepherd's huts close to Alpine ski resort Serre Chevalier.
The huts may be worth hundreds of thousands of euros each if they were converted into ski chalets.
Land in the area is worth up to 3,500 euros per square metre, local media reported.
But, Amphoux's blonde wife, 42, has been cut out of his will and has been left nothing, according to The Independent.
A local lawyer has told the newspaper that Amphoux's will has been uncovered and that it was written in the weeks before he died on the back of an envelope.
According to the reports the shepherd's huts have been left to the tenants and the rest of his estate has been left to an unnamed beneficiary.
Lawyer Jean-Michel Colmant was quoted in The Independent as saying: 'Everyone who has seen it confirms that it is in Marcel's writing. He has clearly stated that he wishes to leave nothing to his wife.'
Devillard has not commented but is expected to contest the will.
French media reported the romance began when Devillard approached Amphoux in a bid to buy his land.
He refused and they began a relationship soon afterwards.
Villagers said she told tenants that they were being evicted and that the huts were hers.
Village mayor Jean-Marius Barnéoud reportedly even asked police to investigate the unlikely union over fears Amphoux was being duped into marrying her.
Photographs of their wedding appeared in national newspapers.
She wore a raspberry, satin gown with gold jewellery and a bejewelled handbag.
Amphoux was dressed in a suit but kept his floppy hat on for the ceremony.
After intense speculation about her motivation for marrying Amphoux, Devillard attempted to silence her critics with a self-penned song and music video about her love for her husband.
In the video for The Call of the Sun, Devillard is dressed in a medieval-style dress as she runs around the mountains.
Amphoux also appears but wears a hood that covers his face.
Devillard said at the time: 'Marcel is a man from the Middle Ages, even prehistoric times.
'I am a true Parisian. I still live there. But I visit my husband as often as I can. To see him and to make him smile,' according to The Independent.
Marcel Amphoux died in November last year after a car, being driven by his wife's friend, plummeted off a mountain in heavy mist.
The marriage of toothless land owner Marcel Amphoux to Sandrine Devillard, who was 25 years his junior, caused controversy in France after residents in Puy-Saint-Pierre turned out to boo and whistle throughout the ceremony.
They said they were concerned about Devillard's motivation for marrying the 68-year-old, who lived in a hut close to the Italian border without electricity or running water.
Marcel Amphoux, who died in a car crash last
year, has cut wife Sandrine Devillard (pictured together) out of his
will, according to reports
Their marriage made headlines after villagers turned up to boo and whistle throughout the ceremony
The huts may be worth hundreds of thousands of euros each if they were converted into ski chalets.
Land in the area is worth up to 3,500 euros per square metre, local media reported.
But, Amphoux's blonde wife, 42, has been cut out of his will and has been left nothing, according to The Independent.
A local lawyer has told the newspaper that Amphoux's will has been uncovered and that it was written in the weeks before he died on the back of an envelope.
According to the reports the shepherd's huts have been left to the tenants and the rest of his estate has been left to an unnamed beneficiary.
Lawyer Jean-Michel Colmant was quoted in The Independent as saying: 'Everyone who has seen it confirms that it is in Marcel's writing. He has clearly stated that he wishes to leave nothing to his wife.'
Devillard has not commented but is expected to contest the will.
Puy-Saint-Pierre villagers speculated about the
Parisian estate agent's motivation for marrying toothless Amphoux, who
lived in a hut without running water or electricity
Amphoux, pictured in his wife's homemade music
video, owned five shepherd's huts that he refused to sell but could have
been worth hundreds of thousands of euros
He refused and they began a relationship soon afterwards.
Villagers said she told tenants that they were being evicted and that the huts were hers.
Village mayor Jean-Marius Barnéoud reportedly even asked police to investigate the unlikely union over fears Amphoux was being duped into marrying her.
Photographs of their wedding appeared in national newspapers.
She wore a raspberry, satin gown with gold jewellery and a bejewelled handbag.
Amphoux was dressed in a suit but kept his floppy hat on for the ceremony.
After intense speculation about her motivation for marrying Amphoux, Devillard attempted to silence her critics with a self-penned song and music video about her love for her husband.
Marcel Amphoux died in November last year after
the car being driven by his wife's friend plummeted off a mountain in
heavy mist
Amphoux also appears but wears a hood that covers his face.
Devillard said at the time: 'Marcel is a man from the Middle Ages, even prehistoric times.
'I am a true Parisian. I still live there. But I visit my husband as often as I can. To see him and to make him smile,' according to The Independent.
Marcel Amphoux died in November last year after a car, being driven by his wife's friend, plummeted off a mountain in heavy mist.
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