French President Francois Hollande last night announced his separation from Valerie Trierweiler – 15 days after he was caught cheating on her with an actress.
After a day of frenzied speculation, Mr Hollande announced: ‘I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler.’
Ms Trierweiler’s position has been considered untenable since Mr Hollande’s two-year affair with Julie Gayet, a 41-year-old actress, was exposed on January 10.
After a day of frenzied speculation, Mr Hollande announced: ‘I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler.’
Ms Trierweiler’s position has been considered untenable since Mr Hollande’s two-year affair with Julie Gayet, a 41-year-old actress, was exposed on January 10.
But the notoriously dithering socialist head of state continually claimed that it was all a ‘private matter’.
The announcement effectively ends Ms Trierweiler’s tenure as France’s First Lady.
Her split from Mr Hollande also means she loses her office with five staff, and numerous other perks including chauffeur-driven limousines and homes across France.
Yesterday’s statement came as 48-year-old Ms Trierweiler set off on a ‘humanitarian’ visit to India, where she is expected to speak for the first time since the scandal broke.
Pointedly, she had refused to sign the separation agreement with Mr Hollande – insisting that she was prepared to forgive him and continue as First Lady, according to Elysee Palace aides.
‘This is the kind of problem which has held up a formal announcement of a separation,’ said one.
As the farce descended to new depths, senior journalists were briefed yesterday morning that Mr Hollande would announce his separation from Ms Trierweiler ‘imminently’.
Leading newspaper websites and satellite TV channels ran the news as their main item until about 2.30pm. It was then that an Elysee Palace spokesman backtracked and said: ‘There will be no announcement today. There are false rumours circulating in the French media.’
The announcement effectively ends Ms Trierweiler’s tenure as France’s First Lady.
Her split from Mr Hollande also means she loses her office with five staff, and numerous other perks including chauffeur-driven limousines and homes across France.
Yesterday’s statement came as 48-year-old Ms Trierweiler set off on a ‘humanitarian’ visit to India, where she is expected to speak for the first time since the scandal broke.
Pointedly, she had refused to sign the separation agreement with Mr Hollande – insisting that she was prepared to forgive him and continue as First Lady, according to Elysee Palace aides.
‘This is the kind of problem which has held up a formal announcement of a separation,’ said one.
As the farce descended to new depths, senior journalists were briefed yesterday morning that Mr Hollande would announce his separation from Ms Trierweiler ‘imminently’.
Leading newspaper websites and satellite TV channels ran the news as their main item until about 2.30pm. It was then that an Elysee Palace spokesman backtracked and said: ‘There will be no announcement today. There are false rumours circulating in the French media.’
Then, shortly after 6pm, Mr Hollande finally put the separation statement out to French news agency AFP.
Ms Trierweiler is increasingly being viewed as a ‘loose cannon’ who may attempt to humiliate Mr Hollande for dumping her just one-and-a-half years into his term of office.
Mr Hollande, who has never married, is now set to concentrate on his relationship with Ms Gayet. On January 10, photographs appeared in Closer magazine showing Hollande sneaking in and out of their Paris love nest, trying to disguise his identity with a crash helmet.
The notoriously volatile Ms Trierweiler, who is twice divorced, first flew into a rage and then checked herself into a Paris hospital for eight days, suffering from emotional shock.
She is said to have thrown valuable Elysee Palace property at Mr Hollande, although claims that she caused £2.5 million worth of damage to antiques, including a vase dating back to the reign of Louis XVI, have been denied.
The announcement came as a new opinion poll confirmed that Ms Trierweiler was by far the most unpopular First Lady in the recent history of France.
Just eight per cent of respondents to the survey for the Parisien newspaper backed Ms Trierweiler, a journalist for magazine Paris Match, as a popular First Lady.
Ms Trierweiler is increasingly being viewed as a ‘loose cannon’ who may attempt to humiliate Mr Hollande for dumping her just one-and-a-half years into his term of office.
Mr Hollande, who has never married, is now set to concentrate on his relationship with Ms Gayet. On January 10, photographs appeared in Closer magazine showing Hollande sneaking in and out of their Paris love nest, trying to disguise his identity with a crash helmet.
The notoriously volatile Ms Trierweiler, who is twice divorced, first flew into a rage and then checked herself into a Paris hospital for eight days, suffering from emotional shock.
She is said to have thrown valuable Elysee Palace property at Mr Hollande, although claims that she caused £2.5 million worth of damage to antiques, including a vase dating back to the reign of Louis XVI, have been denied.
The announcement came as a new opinion poll confirmed that Ms Trierweiler was by far the most unpopular First Lady in the recent history of France.
Just eight per cent of respondents to the survey for the Parisien newspaper backed Ms Trierweiler, a journalist for magazine Paris Match, as a popular First Lady.
M.F.M (c) 2014
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