Free Republic

Truth be told, despite the best efforts by the French and British media to sell their wares, one can hardly call it Gayetgate. Indeed, the president of France, François Hollande, 60, has a mistress, actress Julie Gayet [1], now 41, whom he met about two years ago, even before being elected. Two weeks ago, Closer, a gossip weekly, published a seven-page report that included pictures of the president paying a visit to Gayet’s love nest, an apartment located on Rue du Cirque, one block away from Elysée Palace, the French head of state’s residence in central Paris [2]. However,...

Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande on Saturday told AFP he has split with his longstanding partner Valerie Trierweiler after his affair with an actress nearly 20 years his junior. The announcement came after a day of rumours in the French media that Hollande would formally announce the rupture on Saturday, on the eve of a visit by Trierweiler to India for charity work. Saying he was speaking as a private individual and not as head of state as the matter concerned his private life, Hollande told AFP over the phone: "I wish to make it known that I...

Francois Hollande’s trysts with his French actress mistress took place in a Paris flat, registered to a convicted criminal with mafia links, it has been revealed. The 59-year-old president has reportedly been seeing Julie Gayet, a 41-year-old actress who has been conducting a secret affair with the Socialist head of state since last year. The revelations come as France's first lady Valerie Trierweiler is expected to leave hospital today, where she was admitted after collapsing with 'shock and exhaustion' upon discovering the affair.

over partner Francois Hollande's sex scandal with actress 20 years his junior'France's First Lady Valerie Trierweiler was yesterday facing the prospect of becoming the first in history to be kicked out of the Elysee Palace. It follows humiliating revelations that her partner, President Francois Hollande, has ‘fallen in love’ with a woman almost 20 years his junior. Mr Hollande’s relationship with actress Julie Gayet, 41, was exposed by a series of pictures in French Closer magazine which show him travelling to see her on a moped. But beyond a new romance, opponents claim the scandal exposes publicly funded deceit, security...

Francois Hollande 'shared' his mistress Valerie Trierweiler with Sarkozy minister Francois Hollande "shared" his mistress Valerie Trierweiler with a minister from Nicolas Sarkozy's government in a Jules et Jim-style relationship, a new biography on France's first lady claims. La Frondeuse (The Troublemaker), claims that Miss Trierweiler, 47, had an affair with Patrick Devedjian, 68, a former economic recovery minister, in the early 2000s, but that the Socialist Mr Hollande, 58, muscled in when the Right-winger failed to commit himself further to the relationship. There followed a period "a bit like Jules et Jim," said the co-author Christophe Jakubyszyn, a close...

Just days before the second round of France’s parliamentary elections, a controversy has erupted that threatens to embarrass President Francois Hollande, whose Socialist Party is expected to coast to victory and gain a majority in the National Assembly. Hollande’s new problems arises from his complicated personal life – his current “significant other” Valerie Trierweiler (whom he has not married) supports a Socialist politician named Olivier Falorni for the parliamentary seat in La Rochelle, in western France. Hollande backs a woman named Segolene Royal. What makes this imbroglio particularly interesting is that Royal is Hollande’s former longtime lover and the mother...

The companion of the new French president has finally found a role for herself, but her choice is getting mixed reviews. Valérie Trierweiler, the partner and closest confidante of President François Hollande, said she wanted to continue working as a journalist, prompting some to complain about the potential conflict of interest. Ms. Trierweiler has covered political and cultural issues for Paris Match magazine for more than 20 years. Since Mr. Hollande took office, she negotiated with the magazine to continue to contribute book and art reviews and other cultural coverage a few times a month. “It’s an unprecedented situation,” Olivier...

'First girlfriend': Valerie Trierweiler has been given an official title and her own team of civil servants and security She declared she would not copy the high profile of her predecessor Carla Bruni. But now Valerie Trierweiler has been given an official title and her own team of half-a-dozen civil servants and bodyguards at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Despite not being married to the new president Francois Hollande, she will be known as the The First Lady of France. Ms Trierweiler, 47, a twice-married mother of three, also has her own page on the French presidency’s website. An official...

The U.S. and French First Ladies couldn't hide their awkwardness as they posed for photos ahead of a youth centre visit in Chicago. Michelle Obama wrapped with one arm around the waist of Valerie Trierweiler and with the other she gripped the French First Lady's hand tightly. Towering above Miss Trierweiler, Mrs Obama was very much in control. She didn't loosen her grip as she turned to embrace the French President's partner, placing her other hand on Miss Trierweiler's back to pull her closer.