France's Hollande considers legal action over actress liaison report

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande has complained of breach of privacy and is considering legal action after French magazine Closer alleged he was having an affair with an actress, a source in his office said on Friday.

"Francois Hollande greatly deplores the invasion of his privacy, to which he has a right as any other citizen does. He is studying what action, including legal action, to take following this publication," the source said.

The weekly tabloid earlier published a 7-page photo spread of comings and goings outside a Parisian apartment block to support its allegation.

The pictures showed the arrival of one man resembling one of Hollande's bodyguards, a second man - which it purported was Hollande - arriving and leaving on a scooter and unidentifiable in a black helmet.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/us-france-hollande-idUSBREA0908G20140110

[MADem]

1. Well, isn't that so very French!

He's not denying it, he's just mad because they've got PICTURES....!

He must have some sort of "charm"--he dumped his wife, he lives with his girlfriend, and now he's got a "mistress" on the side? Quite the horndog for a guy who doesn't look like a GQ model...! Step aside, Dominique Strauss Kahn--there's a new playah in town!

http://news.yahoo.com/french-magazine-reveals-hollande-39-affair-39-actress-023719114.html

Closer, echoing reports published on various websites in recent days, said Hollande routinely drives through Paris on his scooter to spend the night with his 41-year-old mistress.

"Around New Year's Day, a helmeted head of state joined the actress at her apartment, where he has got into the habit of spending the night," Closer wrote on the website, which carries a blurred picture of the cover that appears to show Hollande......Respected news weekly L'Express had last month reported that the presidential palace's security services were increasingly concerned by Hollande's frequent "escapades".


Closer said the pictures raise security concerns by showing that the head of state is accompanied by only one bodyguard when he treks halfway across Paris to Gayet's flat.

The bodyguard "even brings the croissants", Closer said.

Hollande lives with his partner Valerie Trierweiler, a journalist for whom he left fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children.

[geek tragedy]

7. Well, Hollande isn't a rapist, so he's certainly no DSK. nt

[MADem]

9. There's an attitude, there. I wonder what the ex is thinking...and the live-in?

The ex is probably on the "Well rid of him" attitude, and perhaps wondering how this is impacting the kids. The live-in? She's got to be a bit annoyed--that he would wander, perhaps, or that he'd be so public and careless while so doing.

It's suggestive of a certain amount of cavalier disrespect, IMO. Of course, nowadays, many people don't regard loyalty or dignified conduct as particularly useful, anymore. He's not denying anything--he's just pissed that a magazine noticed a public figure (and one who requires no small amount of security) cavorting about the city without much regard to his personal safety and in ways that suggest he's got other things on his mind beside the governance of a nation.

Imagine what the world would say if Obama was scooting around DC on his scooter to go get himself some lovin', with a secret service agent hurrying behind, carrying the breakfast donuts? Heads would explode!

[geek tragedy]

11. Well, sure, philandering isn't exactly a positive characer sign.

But, it's an assumed character trait of pols on the continent.

[MADem]

14. And that, I think, is an interesting fact--that it is "assumed" that they'll run round

trying to raise the flagpole hither and yon, and they're regarded like the cute infant who puts his chocolate stained fingers on granny's best tablecloth!

[Major Nikon]

28. He's never been married

[MADem]

29. They were together so long it was regarded as a "common law" marriage, but no ceremony apparently.

The first one in line:

Although not married, Hollande was Royal’s dutiful common-law partner of nearly 30 years; ever at her side and always declaring his undying love for such a talented mother and politician. Royal, though, was unsuccessful in her bid for power and was defeated by Nicolas Sarkozy.

But it later emerged that Royal’s happy-family image was a facade. For at least two years, the couple had been living a sham in a brazen attempt to bolster her presidential chances. In truth, around 2005, Hollande had left Royal for Trierweiler, the Paris Match journalist then on her second marriage.
To the French public, the revelation offered the most dysfunctional public love triangle since Princess Diana famously revealed there were three in her marriage. Even the usually supportive, Left-leaning newspaper Liberation described Hollande as starring in the middle of a ‘psychodrama’.
A subsequent biography of herself, which Trierweiler tried to ban, even claimed that she was sharing her favours at the time with another man — the conservative politician, Patrick Devedjian.

In due course, Hollande and Royal split and he decided to run — successfully — for president himself. Naturally, Trierweiler (appearing in a black chiffon dress that had a high split and exposed her favourite nude tights) moved into the Elysee Palace with him and set about underscoring her triumph with a campaign of open hostility towards her previous love-rival, Royal.
Trierweiler was single-minded in her determination. Nicknamed Valerie ‘Rottweiler’, she was accused of demanding that Hollande’s political team removed a photo of Royal from his campaign literature.
She also berated any journalist who failed to mention that, despite their political allegiance, Royal and Hollande were no longer an item.

The latest is he's dumping this one, moving her out of the palace, and moving in the new one. She's being painted as "ambitious" -- the one being dumped -- which is newspeak for "conniving." All very soap-opera-ish. That kind of shit is a bit embarrassing at his age and stage of life.

I can't help but notice that they keep getting younger....perhaps he's unable to relate to people his own age...? Someone needs to tell him that youth, alas, is not contagious.


Anger by the public at the one being dumped:

France's first lady Valerie Trierweiler was rushed to hospital following news of President Francois Hollande’s affair with an actress, it has been reported.

The divorcee, 48, sought immediate help for depression upon learning of the 59-year-old President’s illicit relationship from media reports last Thursday.

Tonight she is still recovering in hospital, according to the Le Parisian newspaper, which said she had been prescribed ‘lots of rest.’

The news came ahead of speculation that she could become the first Premiere Dame in history to be kicked out of the President’s official residence, the Elysee Palace.

Opinion polls show the majority of the French public believe it could no longer be justified to support journalist Ms Treirweiler with public funds....Ms Trierweiler has made no formal comment since news of Mr Hollande’s cheating was made public on Friday, but sources to her say she is ‘incensed and humiliated’ by the scandal.

I think anyone who has to be so "messy" in his private life might struggle in his public life, also. He'd better get his act together.

[Major Nikon]

30. His private life seems to be the least of his worries right now

I have few issues with his politics. France probably wouldn't have gay marriage right now if it weren't for him. The reason why he's so unpopular has more to do with his labor reforms.

I don't believe there is such a thing as common law marriages in France. They have something similar to civil unions, but this was mainly for gay couples who couldn't marry prior to the law change.

His latest is 41, so although 18 years younger at that age it doesn't matter as much. It's not like he's 40 and she's 22. He had no kids with Trierweiler and they were never married. It's not as if she had a reasonable expectation that he intended to stay with her forever, and 3 lovers in practically 40 years doesn't really seem so messy, especially for someone who hasn't been married.

[Mass]

2. What a sane reaction from French people. We care about the economy, not whom the president is

sleeping with.

I am sure the American media will spend a lot more time covering this than the French ones.

[MADem]

15. The magazines that have been breathlessly covering this story are FRENCH.

The "American press" only started covering this from the lawsuit aspect, not the "Oooh la la" aspect. It's the French public that are buying the publications that are covering this and promising pictures, and it is the French media that followed Hollande on his little scooter through the streets. That's why Hollande is pompously demanding his "privacy" while he endangers himself on a scooter zipping through Paris. State funerals are expensive!

Most Americans wouldn't recognize Hollande if they ran him over in the road.

[cosmicone]

3. Julie Gayet is a hottie

Lucky guy

[dipsydoodle]

4. Catherine Deneuve is more up my street.

That is an age related comment.

[cosmicone]

5. hahaha age or no age

Catherine Deneuve is also a hottie

[geek tragedy]

6. Um, good luck with that. "How dare you publish the truth by taking photos

of people in public" is not a very compelling argument.

Why not just say "so what?"

[Beacool]

8. I have family in France.

My sister in law is a big supporter of Segolene Royal. She ran against Sarkozy and lost. My SIL says that the French don't like the woman that Hollande lives with (Valerie Trierweiler). She's insanely jealous of Segolene and even endorsed her opponent when Segolene ran for some other political office. So now Hollande is cheating on her? Well, what goes around, comes around.

BTW, I don't know what women see in Sarkozy and Hollande. All their women have been stunning and they look like frogs (not as ugly as a toad).

[MADem]

10. You know darn well if Hollande was the butcher, the baker, or the garbageman, he wouldn't be

anywhere near so lucky. Same deal with Sarkozy! It's all about the j-o-b, unless those women are myopic.

Not terribly "liberated," that attitude, to use an old-school word, but France does have that underlay of faux liberation where everyone pretends this kind of Oooh-la-la cheating is just fine, but I suspect the women get the crappy end of the stick and are probably less pleased about the state of affairs than the men are. Of course, to say so is to be regarded as "unsophisticated."

That's not to say that other nations don't have similar sorts of things going on, but those countries at least affect a "Now, now, that's not appropriate behavior!" kind of attitude!

[ucrdem]

16. quel scandale

[MADem]

18. I just read in a French publication that there will be an "announcement" from the palace

on 14 January (Why so long? Perhaps it takes awhile to arrange moving vans?) with regard to Number Two, so I'm betting Valerie is getting dumped. The report said that she was "upset and humiliated." The comments at the site, from French citizens, were mostly of the "horn dog" and "Who does he think he is, preventing the freedom of the press, at this rate we'll have all the press freedoms of North Korea" variety.

This guy is about as popular as Dumbya was in his last year--I think he's polling around 23 percent...which leaves him ripe for jokes about how he should be "poling" less in private and working for the people to increase his polling numbers!

[ucrdem]

19. You'd think he'd have taken a cue from DSK

On the other hand this might be the distraction he needs from dismal economic numbers. In any case I agree with Beacool, Ségolène Royal was run over repeatedly by both Hollande and number 2, who helped defeat her in the last parliamentary election by tweeting support for Royal's opponent. Tacky. So if the moving vans are coming she shouldn't be surprised eh?

[MADem]

20. Mais oui!!!!

Not only are the economic numbers bad, he's polling like Dumbya--never a good sign.

Number Three might be climbing aboard "Le Titanique!" If she moves in with him, she'd better put her "big stuff" in storage and live out of her suitcase! Or better still, do a month-to-month sublet of her apartement!

Ya never know when you'll get the toss from that horndogging coot!

[Beacool]

23. Exactly!!!

She's only getting some of what she dished.

[ucrdem]

24. Another thing is that neither SR nor any of their 4 kids attended Hollande's inaugural.

I think the oldest, Thomas, even worked on Hollande's campaign, as did SR after Hollande beat her in the first round primaries. SR and kids were good soldiers all the way and attended the outdoor events and of course the cameras couldn't get enough of Segolene putting up a good front with tears streaming. This after she also lost her parliamentary bid. It was pretty awful and while I think VT is attractive and elegant, and helped win the election, that was cold. So I'm not particularly sorry about this turn of events though I think Hollande is pushing his luck. The UMP guys are gloating all over the media about damage to the presidents image etc.

[Beacool]

25. Vt was always jealous of SG.

I have zero pity for her after the stories I've heard about her.

[ucrdem]

26. Ségolène is having the last laugh it seems ...

on i-télé there's a clip of her saying it's time to turn the page and get back to work or words to that effect

[Beacool]

27. She stayed classy.

[Beacool]

22. Yep, it's the power thing.

Some women can't resist falling for these type of men. If it's not the power they yield, then they fall for their wealth. Jackie never would have looked at Onassis if he wasn't a multimillionaire.

[ucrdem]

12. Closer is pulling its web story but not its magazines per FranceInfo:

http://www.franceinfo.fr/justice/une-de-closer-le-magazine-purge-son-site-web-1276993-2014-01-10

[dipsydoodle]

13. I noticed that on our UK tv news

The cat however is well and truly out of the bag.

[ucrdem]

17. Yep.

C'est lui, that's Hollande on the scooter anyway:

[ucrdem]

21. France's first lady hospitalized after report of Hollande's affair

(CNN) -- The first lady of France, Valerie Trierweiler, has been hospitalized since Friday following allegations that President Francois Hollande has been having an affair with a French actress, a top member of Trierweiler's staff said.

Patrice Biancone, head of Trierweiler's Elysee office, told CNN, "She needed rest. We are hoping that she will leave the hospital at the beginning of this week."

He said that the first lady entered a hospital after allegations surfaced in the French tabloid Closer linking Hollande romantically to actress Julie Gayet.

SNIP

Le Parisien first reported Trierweiler has been hospitalized since Thursday. The paper said the full story will appear in Monday's edition.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/12/world/europe/french-first-lady/
......................

quel dommage ...

[ucrdem]

31. Hollande was cool as a cuke at his presser today and didn't take any guff

See this is why Hollande's polling doesn't worry me. They call him marshmallow man but Hollande can be tough as nails when he wants to be:
.........................
French affair a trial for a wincing Hollande

SNIP

“There is a need for clarification vis-a-vis the French and those who watch us from abroad,” Mr Barluet said, posing the question all of France has been asking. “Is Valérie Trierweiler still the first lady of France today?”

“Everyone in their personal life goes through trials,” Mr Hollande replied. “That is our case. These are painful moments. I have a principle that private affairs are dealt with in private. This is neither the place nor the time to do it.”

The president said he would answer no further questions on the matter, but promised Ms Trierweiler’s status would be resolved “before the rendezvous you mentioned” – his visit to Washington next month.

What about the lawsuit he’d threatened against Closer magazine? Because he enjoys presidential immunity, it would be a “double standard” for him to sue, Mr Hollande replied. Yet, he added, “my indignation is total. And I mean total.”


http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/french-affair-a-trial-for-a-wincing-hollande-1.1655456