Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida was a totem for many years in Catalan and Spanish politics. The best-rated leader in Catalonia with influence in Madrid, he left politics abruptly because Unió failed to secure representation in the 2015 Spanish elections. He had already planned to gradually retire, but that defeat, which he experienced as a tragedy, relegated him from public life. Now, eleven years later, he gives thanks every day for not being there. Thanks for not having experienced the height of the 'Procés' firsthand, which he always considered to be going down the wrong path, nor the current Congress hemicycle with its polarized atmosphere. He deeply regrets the demise of CiU, as he believes that both Catalonia and the State as a whole have lost out. However, this does not mean that Duran i Lleida is retired. At 74 years old and a grandfather, he remains hyperactive and his schedule is packed. The difference is that now he does it out of the spotlight.