Who is Julie Gayet, Francois Hollande’s new lover?

Closer magazine has revealed today that French President François Hollande’s relationship with actress Julie Gayet goes back for over two years.

The gossip magazine, which revealed the affair a week ago, said that Julie Gayet, now 41, had been introduced to Francois Hollande by his former partner Ségolène Royal in 2011 when he was a front-running presidential candidate.

Their romantic affair can be traced back at least 12 months to December 2012, Closer said, but their relationship was already “intimate” during the presidential campaign in the spring of that year.

While currently linked to Francois Hollande, Julie Gayet was previously romanced by a different leading man. Julie Gayet was reportedly married to screenwriter, film producer, director and actor Santiago Amigorena in 2003.

Santiago Amigorena is best known for his work directing the war thriller A Few Days in September and was also awarded by the Warsaw International Film Festival for directing the feature Another Silence in 2011.

Julie Gayet’s ex-husband, the writer Santiago Amigorena, 51, confirmed his former wife was “very calm and confident” as she hid away from the media storm created by the scandal.

He said his ex-wife, with whom he has two sons, was a “sublime actress, who works a lot, a mother who cares for her two children”.

Santiago Amigorena insisted there was “no fault, no deception” on her part.

Julie Gayet’s ex-husband, the writer Santiago Amigorena, 51, confirmed his former wife was “very calm and confident” as she hid away from the media storm created by the scandal.

He said his ex-wife, with whom he has two sons, was a “sublime actress, who works a lot, a mother who cares for her two children”.

Santiago Amigorena insisted there was “no fault, no deception” on her part.

Before her scandalous relationship with Francois Hollande, Julie Gayet did make her name for herself in the acting business overseas. According to her IMDB page, Julie Gayet has been credited in 90 roles since working in the film industry in the 1990s.

In 1997 Julie Gayet was awarded with the Brussels International Film Festival award for best actress for her role in the French film, Select Hotel.

In 2009, Julie Gayet won the Tokyo International Film Festival best actress award for her role in 8 Fois Debout. She is reportedly currently filming the made-for-TV movie Ca va passer… Mais quand?.

Meanwhile, Julie Gayet, breaking her silence about the affair, has formally denied in a statement to Europe 1 radio reports that she is four months pregnant. An unsourced rumor of her pregnancy, which appeared briefly on a French blog, was picked up by some foreign media earlier this week.

Julie Gayet is already the parent to two teenage sons.

According to a report from the Telegraph, Julie Gayet comes from a prestigious upbringing. The British publication reported last week that Francois Hollande’s alleged lover was raised in the western Paris suburb of Suresnes. Her parents reportedly worked as a surgeon and an antiques dealer. According to the article, Julie Gayet has previously commented on her upbringing, stating that she didn’t take on acting as a career “for the money”.

When recently prompted by reporters to address his alleged affair with Julie Gayet and his relationship with Valerie Trierweiler, President Francois Hollande would only reveal the current “pain” he is dealing with in his personal life, saying: “Everyone in his private life can go through ordeals. That is what is happening to us.”