Born in Besançon on 14 November 1945, Monnot's father was SNCF executive Bernard Monnot and his mother was Marguerite Vatageot, who worked as a secretary.[2] From his first marriage, Christian-Marie had one child. He married his second wife, Marie-Hélène Torck, on 3 June 1995, with whom he had three children.[2] He studied at the Lycée Hippolyte-Fontaine and subsequently at the University of Burgundy, earning a law degree. In 1972, he graduated from the Centre universitaire d'enseignement du journalisme [fr] at Robert Schuman University.[3]
Monnot worked as a journalist at ORTF Alsace from 1972 to 1975 before serving as editor-in-chief of the regional office of France 3 Centre from 1975 to 1977 and of France 3 Lorraine [fr] from 1978 to 1980. From 1980 to 1981, he worked for Action Against Hunger. He then returned to journalism with Antenne 2 [fr] as a reporter from 1981 to 1984 before serving as chief economic editor for Télématin from 1984 to 1987. He was editor-in-chief of the Journal de 20 heures from 1987 to 1988. He returned to Antenne 2 as an economic and European correspondent, serving as editor-in-chief in that department from 1996 to 1999.[4] He was appointed secretary-general of the editing staff of France 2 in 1996,[5] a post confirmed in 1998.[6] He was the mediator for the France 2 editorial team from 2005[7] to 2010 alongside Marie-Laure Augry, who was at France 3.[8] He also hosted L'Hebdo du médiateur [fr] until 2008.[9]
Christian-Marie died following a long illness on 18 September 2024, at the age of 78.[10][11]