Valerie Trierweiler hospitalized after alleged Francois Hollande affair

Valerie Trierweiler, President Francois Hollande’s official partner and France’s first lady, has been admitted to hospital after media reports of an alleged affair involving the president.

Valerie Trierweiler’s office said she had been admitted on Friday “for rest and some tests”.

She was admitted a day after Closer magazine published images of Francois Hollande’s alleged affair with actress Julie Gayet.

Francois Hollande has not denied secretly visiting actress Julie Gayet at a flat near the Elysee Palace but protested at the magazine’s invasion of his privacy.

Valerie Trierweiler is expected to leave hospital on Monday, her office told AFP news agency.

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

It was illustrated with photos showing a man said to be the president visiting a flat at the same time as Julie Gayet.

The man said to be the president is wearing a helmet and is ferried to and from the building on a moped.

Francois Hollande threatened to sue over the report, which he called an “attack on the right to privacy”, without denying the allegation.

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

Opinion polls already suggest Francois Hollande is the most unpopular president in a generation – one on Thursday indicated that only 25% 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. But polls suggest the French public appears be averse to reporting politicians’ private lives.

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