France First Lady in hospital after alleged President Hollande affair

French First Lady Valerie Trierweiler has been admitted to hospital after media reports of an alleged affair involving President Francois Hollande. Her office said she had been admitted on Friday “for rest and some tests”.

Mr Hollande’s unmarried partner was admitted after Closer magazine published images of the alleged affair.

The French leader has not denied secretly visiting actress Julie Gayet at a flat near the Elysee Palace but protested at invasion of his privacy. Ms Trierweiler is expected to leave hospital on Monday, her office told AFP news agency.

A presidential news conference scheduled for Tuesday on plans to boost the flagging economy now looks like being overshadowed by Mr Hollande’s private life, correspondents say.

Opinion polls already suggest he is the most unpopular president in a generation – one on Thursday indicated that only
25 per cent of French people trusted him.

The French media face strict privacy laws but the tradition of secrecy over the private lives of public figures has been steadily eroded in recent years.

However, opinion polls suggest the French public appears be averse to reporting politicians’ private lives.

According to an Ifop-JDD poll published on Sunday, three out of four French people believe the alleged affair is a private matter for the president.

But with this dramatic twist affecting his official partner, it is increasingly hard to argue that these are personal matters which should not be under public scrutiny, says the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris.

On Friday, Closer magazine printed a seven-page article about the alleged affair between Mr Hollande and Ms Gayet.

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