Gallivanting was definitely not on our minds that Friday morning. And no other head of state could survive the revelation totally unscathed. A photographer managed to track down Hollande’s love nest with Julie Gayet which included an elaborate security arrangement including Hollande traveling part of the trip riding pillion on a scooter, which the photographer managed to snap. Gossip is not news. Surely, the highest form of civilisation, and the envy of the world. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The morning after, the same bodyguard comes in at 8am with a bag full of croissants. I went out to buy Closer. Masters 2021: What time does it start, how can I watch and what are the odds. It was Closer's revelations of Mr Hollande's secret night-time trysts with the 43-year-old actress that prompted the president to end his relationship with Ms Trierweiler, 49, in January. It claimed that Mr Hollande and Ms Gayet met at the riverside apartment on Sunday April 27, and that Ms Gayet was spotted by a palace employee visiting Mr Hollande at the Elysee on May 2. Julie Gayet was born on June 3, 1972 in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He shamelessly used his ex-wife Cecilia and his new flame, Carla Bruni – whom he subsequently married after a few months of intense and overexposed courtship – as publicity props. And politicians have had to learn that the hard way. The French president and his actress girlfriend are 'seeing each other again' despite earlier reports that they had broken up, says Closer magazine. The president is calling the story an attack on his right to privacy. Grand National 2021: What time does the Aintree race start, what TV channel is it on and how will it work during Covid-19? Then, from under the duvet, I reached for my smartphone and learned from Twitter that the French edition of Closer magazine had published pictures purportedly revealing an affair between President François Hollande and the actress Julie Gayet. Then, from under the duvet, I reached for my smartphone and learned from Twitter that the French edition of, an affair between President François Hollande and the actress Julie Gayet, Hollande made a statement to the news agency AFP. Francois Hollande, Julie Gayet … and a very British scandal about a very French affair. Now Closer claims that the couple only stopped seeing each temporarily until the scandal died down. Francois Hollande has resumed his "love story" with the actress Julie Gayet, Closer magazine claimed on Friday despite earlier reports of a rapprochement between the … Once, news of a scandal at the Elysée palace might never have made the papers. French actress Julie Gayet and French President Francois Hollande, Grand National 2021 runners and riders: latest longlist with weights announced, Grand National 2021 sweepstake kit: How to download and print yours. Julie Gayet Francois Hollande French television Ricky Gervais. Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images, n Friday morning, I woke up as my usual French self. So simple, so organic, so carefree, so natural. "In secret, the president and the actress are continuing to see each other for rare but precious escapades," Closer reported. Every week, those publications put aside the money for the fines they will probably have to pay for breaching France's strict privacy laws. The affair with Gayet reportedly began in 2012 but only became public in 2014. Things were getting serious: calls poured in from Washington, New York, London, Doha, Brussels. This time, Closer has published no photographs. At 7.18am, an angry Hollande made a statement to the news agency AFP deploring the attack on his privacy and declaring he might seek legal action. She is an actress and producer, known for Raw (2016), 8 fois debout (2009) and Sélect Hôtel (1996). Join our new commenting forum. Hunt is on for phantom photographer who snapped Francois Hollande with his girlfriend Julie Gayet inside Elysee Palace gardens. Investigators … She is also known for being the partner of the former President of the French Republic, François Hollande. Closer's Friday edition carried a seven-page report on the 59-year-old president's alleged infidelity under the headline "Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet - the president's secret love". This was to prove a difficult stance to maintain. She was previously married to Santiago Amigorena. That was then. I couldn't help noticing the painful truth that the world media seems interested in France only when it complies with the stereotypes and does what is expected of it: promiscuity, grandstanding in foreign policy, sex on the big screen, economic dirigisme, secular authoritarianism and xenophobia. Francois Hollande has resumed his "love story" with the actress Julie Gayet, Closer magazine claimed on Friday despite earlier reports of a rapprochement between the president and Valerie Trierweiler, his former official partner. WOMEN troubles are not new for Francois Hollande, … Six weeks ago, a book by a journalist claimed that Mr Hollande had re-established relations with Ms Trierweiler and was bombarding her with tender text messages. I didn't have much time to lament the power of cliches. Instead of being salacious, the tone of the article is more reminiscent of Barbara Cartland. We may dislike the human being; we inevitably revere the symbol. François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (French: [fʁɑ̃swa ʒeʁaʁ ʒɔʁʒ nikɔla ɔlɑ̃d] (); born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra from 2012 to 2017. The best ally of France's gossip press in recent years has been a former president. Talk about a culture shock. And so terribly Parisian. While we may have gone a long way towards the 24-hour voyeuristic society that Britain and the US enjoy (or suffer from), the overall culture in France is still one that values privacy highly. I am now looking at this entirely through British eyes, and I suddenly understand why the world media has flocked to Paris. Hence the deference – or at the very least, the inherent respect – accorded any French president by his compatriots. Mr Hollande left the mother of his four children, Segolene Royal, the former presidential candidate whom he recently appointed his environment minister, after starting an affair with Ms Trierweiler, who is now said to be writing her memoirs. Francois Hollande’s ­popularity has surged since his affair with actress Julie Gayet was made public. What other head of state could actually do the same? Well, let me rephrase: nobody would have dreamed of spending a whole night hiding outside a building to take such pictures. President Francois Hollande has been pictured with his actress girlfriend, Julie Gayet, for the first time in the leader's official residence, reports Voici, a glossy magazine. No, surely nobody was interested – or, to be really French about it, nobody should be interested. François Hollande may be close to proposing to the actress, Julie Gayet, according to senior Socialist party officials who have reportedly asked the French president to clarify his status. A picture of Hollande in a crash helmet that looks slightly awry carries a caption that reads: "François is so in love, he has forgotten to secure his helmet properly." I simply hope for the country that the lovers quickly find another love nest, so that the president can get on with the work of reforming France. Seven pages of pictures show the sequence of events that is supposed to prove the affair: Gayet arrives at a flat belonging to friends, near the Elysée palace, with a smile on her face. I was barely into my third espresso when I started receiving calls and emails asking me to comment. Good for him, I thought. There is talk of "passion", "stolen nights", "cooing" and "being in love". world; How does Francois Hollande pull these women? Last Friday, Closer ran a seven-page report on the president's infidelity with the headline, "Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet - the president's secret love." There had been rumours for months, as there inevitably are in the higher echelons of power. Hollande was very upset, but has not denied the allegation. End of story. Isn't it always the same: salacious and badly written stories with ugly pictures? Days later, friends of Ms Gayet told journalists that she had broken off her relationship with the president because she could no longer tolerate constant media exposure and wanted to spare her two teenage sons the publicity. Once, news of a scandal at the Elysée palace might never have made the papers. On Friday morning, I woke up as my usual French self. He was even said to be considering re-instating her as his partner. News of Francois Hollande's renewed love affair with Julie Gayet, 41, emerged as he tried to save his floundering career with a make-or-break TV appearance. like Julie Gayet and Valerie Trierweiler. Trivia is of the essence. Ms Gayet was awarded damages of €15,000 after she sued the magazine for breaching strict French privacy laws by printing photographs of her in January. Imagine the head of state of the world's fifth biggest economy scooting through the streets of Paris at night to a rendezvous, and being delivered breakfast at 8am by his bodyguard. Julie Gayet, François Hollande’s reported mistress, blocked from prestigious French cultural jury amid sex scandal fallout An official says Gayet was nominated for … The former political reporter was cast out of the Elysee Palace, ceasing to be the "first lady" of France, but was never officially replaced by Ms Gayet. He may be a man, but he is also an institution. An hour later, at the newsstand, I bought my usual hefty pile of French and international newspapers, and didn't even glance at Closer. Times have changed. French actress Julie Gayet is at the centre of a world media storm after further allegations of an affair with President Francois Hollande surfaced this week. French actor Julie Gayet appeared for the first time on Thursday at an official event attended by President François Hollande, amid speculation that … Revealing celebrities' intimacies has become "affordable", almost a fact of life. In a clear break with tradition, the taboo-busting Nicolas Sarkozy ventured to stage his private life for political gain. As the rightwing politician Marine Le Pen declared, a couple of hours after Closer's revelations: "Everybody is entitled to their privacy and so is the president, providing this doesn't cost a penny to the taxpayer.". Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet communicate only via text message as they are so worried about being found together. If a majority of the French people think it is a distraction the country doesn't need at a time of rising unemployment and social discontent, the affair won't affect his ratings – which are currently so low they could hardly sink further. I shrugged my shoulders and thought little more about it, much more concerned by the legal wrangles of the French interior minister, Manuel Valls, who is trying to ban the comedian Dieudonné from performing his antisemitic routine in theatres and clubs around France. Tellingly, over the past 20 years, French judges have become less severe and the fines have got smaller. French president Francois Hollande and a picture taken in May 2011 of French actress Julie Gayet Photograph: YOAN VALAT/CHRISTOPHE KARABA/EPA Kim Willsher in … His office stressed that this was the citizen, not the president, speaking. François Hollande-Julie Gayet affair not deflected by policy The French press, among others, have always been a bit mystified at how someone like François Hollande does so well with the ladies. I grew up in a country where the president embodied not just the state but also the nation. President François Hollande’s alleged lover, the actress Julie Gayet, was today nominated as “best supporting actress” in the French equivalent of the Oscars. French actress Julie Gayet made her first appearance at an official event attended by President Francois Hollande on Thursday, fuelling speculation that she … French actor Julie Gayet is seeking €50,000 damages from the glossy celebrity magazine that revealed her affair with president François Hollande, it emerged today as the case started in a … I was being too French about it, it seems; it was high time I started looking at this through British eyes. For the past three weeks, France has been facing one relentless question: does freedom of speech stop where incitement to hatred begins? "They preferred to let the storm pass and make people believe that they had broken up," according to the glossy magazine, whose sales doubled after it published photographs in December of a helmet-wearing Francois Hollande arriving for an assignation with Ms Gayet on the back of a motor scooter. Julie Gayet is a French actress and film producer. None. Images of their now-famous amorous escape to the pyramids of Egypt were simply too embarrassing to watch. Francois Hollande is getting restless with Julie Gayet, who caused his split with First Lady Valerie Trierweiler, and has been texting Segolene Royal, magazine claims. They met at a friend's flat on the Seine in central Paris, according to the magazine, which said the president had dispatched one of his security staff an hour before their rendezvous to check that there were neither paparazzi nor potential attackers lurking nearby. It was a revelation – and I am not talking about Hollande's alleged affair. Hollande obviously belongs to the old order of discretion, and would feel extremely uncomfortable in this new environment – as, probably, would a big chunk of the French electorate. This is less journalism than lowbrow romantic fiction. Reading Closer's report on Hollande's alleged affair is an education. Julie Gayet, Producer: Grave. I belong to the generation that grew up under Mitterrand: a time when nobody would have dared to publish images showing the president going to a rendezvous and leaving the morning after. I think it is safe to say that this will not prove to be Hollande's political swansong. By Matt Blake 12:27 07 Mar 2014, updated 15:53 07 Mar 2014. Last month she looked radiant and seemed untroubled when she appeared in public during the Cannes film festival. Julie Gayet, the actress whose affair with French President Francois Hollande sparked a scandal and set tongues wagging worldwide, has steered … world; Francois Hollande's partner Valerie Trierweiler taken to hospital after reports he had affair with actress Julie Gayet. Gossip is like the background noise of a Parisian cafe: the little music of our lives, familiar and inconsequential. He is France – in other words, he is me and I am him. Now, France's tradition of privacy and discretion is under pressure from the global celebrity media, The French edition of Closer purports to reveal all about an affair between President François Hollande and Julie Gayet. An article on Closer's revelations and Hollande's dalliance quickly appeared on the BBC website and immediately shot to most-read item on the site. The French magazine Closer has been ordered to pay damages of €15,000 (£12,400) to the actress Julie Gayet after it published photos which it said showed President Francois Hollande … It could even boost his image abroad. Gossip magazines of the Closer kind, which did not exist in the Mitterrand era, are now a thriving force, with millions of readers. Half an hour later, the president's bodyguard comes in, allegedly to check the premises, and, a few minutes later, here comes a stout-looking man in a dark suit and a helmet, driven by a chauffeur on a three-wheeled scooter. We had to close our eyes whenever we saw them on television: Nicolas with Carla in tow and her coyness à la Bambi. Actrita Julie Gayet, actuala iubita a presedintelui francez, Francois Hollande, a aparut joi pentru prima data la un eveniment oficial al sefului statului, scrie presa franceza, in articole despre comemorarea a 75 de ani de la istoricul discurs prin care generalul Charles de Gaulle si-a indemnat concetatenii sa continue lupta si sa nu cedeze in fata ocupatiei naziste.