Valerie Trierweiler regrets tweet against Segolene Royal

France’s first lady Valerie Trierweiler has admitted she made a mistake sending tweets aimed against President Francois Hollande’s former partner.

Valerie Trierweiler caused controversy when she used Twitter to publicly back an opponent of Segolene Royal in parliamentary elections in June.

Segolene Royal, the Socialist presidential candidate in 2007, is the mother of Francois Hollande’s four children.

Valerie Trierweiler told a French newspaper she regretted the move.

“It was a mistake that I regret. I must have been clumsy because this was badly interpreted,” Valerie Trierweiler told regional newspaper Ouest-France.

“I had not yet realized that I was no longer a simple citizen. It won’t happen again.”

Government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem welcomed the remarks.

“It is entirely to her credit that Valerie Trierweiler has taken the time to express her regrets,” she said according to French news agency AFP.

During the elections, Valerie Trierweiler tweeted support for Segolene Royal’s opponent, dissident socialist politician Olivier Falorni. Her actions embarrassed Francois Hollande, who had only recently been elected president.

The president had given his public support to his former partner Segolene Royal, who subsequently lost the election to Olivier Falorni.

He recently told journalist that he and the first lady agreed on everything except her tweets.

There has long been speculation of the intense rivalry between the two women.

Segolene Royal is a former leader of the Socialist Party who ran for president in 2007 but was defeated by conservative Nicolas Sarkozy. Valerie Trierweiler is a former political journalist.

In the interview with Ouest-France, she said she planned to continue working at Paris-Match – the weekly magazine where she writes an arts column. – but would abandon plans for a more high-profile television presenting role.

“I understand that being the president’s partner and working for a television channel may be problematic or even fuel suspicion for some people,” she said.