France: Hollande’s affair continued 2 years, magazine reports (VIDEO)
French President Francois Hollande speaks to foreign ambassadors in the Elysee Palace in Paris on January 17, 2014.
President Francois Hollande visited his partner, First Lady Valerie Trierweiler, in the hospital Thursday night for the first time since allegations of his affair surfaced in French media.
The president’s office confirmed the news to the Associated Press, but offered no details.
Trierweiler, 48, entered the hospital after a “crisis of nerves,” the AP reported, after a magazine alleged Hollande and actress Julie Gayet were having an affair.
The journalist's representatives had told reporters her condition was improving, and she was to leave the hospital on Friday.
However, her employer posted a contradictory message on its website that said Trierweiler wasn't answering her phone, and her son was prevented from visiting her.
"The family of our colleague are worried," Paris Match said, according to Agence France-Presse. "On Friday afternoon, for the first time since she was hospitalized, her youngest son, who is 16, was not able to visit his mother at the Pitie-Salpetriere (hospital)."
Trierweiler writes a literary column for the magazine.
On Thursday, Gayet announced a lawsuit seeking 50,000 euros ($68,000) accusing Closer magazine of invading her privacy.
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Closer published photos last week reportedly showing 59-year-old Hollande — obscured by a motorcycle helmet — and Gayet arriving separately at an apartment near the presidential offices.
On Friday, the magazine published a new report suggesting the affair has continued for two years. If Gayet, 41, wins the lawsuit Closer would have to publish the verdict on its front page.
The magazine would likely be happy to absorb any lawsuits given it sold 600,000 copies of the magazine with allegations on the cover, twice its normal circulation, Agence France-Presse reported.
The magazine is no stranger to controversy, and drew the wrath of the British royals after publishing nude photos of the Duchess of Cambridge in 2012.
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