French weather presenter with Down syndrome scores a hit

PARIS (AP) — A young woman with Down syndrome presented the weather on French national television, attracting the biggest audience of the season.
France 2 said Wednesday that Melanie Segard’s presentation on Tuesday night drew 5.3 million viewers.
Segard, 21, arrived early at the network for hair and makeup and appeared about halfway through the weather report to present the weekend weather. She and the regular weather presenter ended the broadcast by clasping hands and embracing.
Segard earned the chance after launching a Facebook petition called “Melanie can do it.”
“I’m different, but I’d like to show everyone that I can do a lot of things,” she said.
She received four days of training from France 2’s weather team, including tips on presenting in front of the green wall where the graphics are digitally projected.
“There we go; I did it,” she wrote on her Facebook page afterward.
—Addition information from www.bbc.com