French president having affair with actress, magazine alleges
Hollande reacted furiously to the allegation, backed up by photos reportedly showing the president entering the flat of actress Julie Gayet -but did not deny it
Paris, Jan 10 (AFP) - A magazine reported Friday that Francois Hollande routinely rides a scooter to spend the night with an actress, an alleged affair that has created yet another headache for the unpopular French president.
Hollande reacted furiously to the allegation, backed up by photos reportedly showing the president entering the flat of actress Julie Gayet -but did not deny it, threatening legal action over what he called an attack on his right to privacy.
Closer's Friday edition carried a seven-page spread on the 59-year-old president's alleged infidelity under the headline "Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet - the president's secret love".
"It's a real passion that has... turned their lives upside down and makes them take insane risks," the magazine wrote.
To back up its claims, the magazine printed photos of Gayet, 41, arriving at a flat in an upmarket part of Paris on December 30, not far from the Elysee palace where Hollande lives.
Half-an-hour later, a man whom they identify as Hollande's bodyguard inspects the hallway of the apartment block before the arrival of a scooter with two helmeted men on board, one of whom they say is Hollande, although his face is never revealed.