French president Hollande splits from first lady Valérie Trierweiler
French President Francois Hollande says he has separated from his partner of seven years, Valerie Trierweiler, following a media frenzy over reports he has been having an affair with an actress.
Hollande announced the split Saturday to the French news agency, AFP.
The announcement comes two weeks after a tabloid reported Hollande was having an affair with film actress Julie Gayet, who, at 41 years old, is nearly 20 years his junior.
Trierweiler spent a week in hospital after the revelations. On Saturday evening she tweeted her thanks to the "wonderful staff" at the Elysee Palace.
She said she "would never forget their devotion or the emotion at the time of departure".
The 59-year-old president is not married to the 48-year-old Trierweiler, a well-known journalist, but they had been together since 2006, and she had assumed the role of first lady following his election in 2012.
The announcement of the couple\’s separation comes just one day before Trierweiler is to travel to India for charity work. She was reportedly hospitalized for fatigue after news of the affair broke.
The French president was previously in a relationship with Segolene Royal, a senior member of his Socialist Party and a 2007 presidential candidate. They had four children together but split in 2007, just after she lost the presidential election to Hollande\’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Source: VOA and agencies
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