Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet 'in love for two years,' Closer magazine claims

François Hollande and Julie Gayet "have been in love for two years," spending time at a second Paris apartment and in the South of France, Closer magazine reported on Friday

Julie Gayet, in the background, at the Socialist party leadership convention in October 2011 Photo: AFP

10:09AM GMT 17 Jan 2014

François Hollande's relationship with French actress Julie Gayet began two years ago, according to French magazine Closer which a week ago published the initial report of their alleged affair.

The magazine reports that Mr Hollande, 59, met Miss Gayet in 2011 when Ségolène Royal – the mother of Mr Hollande's four children and his partner for 30 years – supported Miss Gayet's political activism. Miss Gayet, the magazine reports, was "the nicest" of all the Left-wing artists that joined the Socialist cause.

Miss Gayet, a divorced mother-of-one, was said to have been "impressed" by the "humble man" with whom she discussed films.

By April 2012 she was seen at a rally at the Chateau de Vincennes, chatting with Thomas Hollande – Mr Hollande's son.

^{French actress Julie Gayet with Thomas Hollande (KCS PRESSE/Splash News)}

The magazine claims that a month later Valerie Trierweiler – the de facto "First Lady" – had resolved to win him back, and Miss Gayet and Mr Hollande separated. The French president spent that summer on holiday at Brégançon, the official presidential retreat, with Miss Trierweiler.

But by the following summer Miss Trierweiler was taking her holidays alone, in Greece, while Mr Hollande spent his time in his political heartland of Correze – where Miss Gayet was also on holiday.

Last week Closer claimed that Mr Hollande and Miss Gayet would meet in an apartment on Rue du Cirque; Closer now claims that there was a second apartment they frequented.

Miss Gayet, who has not been seen since the first issue of the magazine was published, announced on Friday that she was suing Closer for breach of privacy.

The 41-year-old is asking for €50,000 in damages and a further €4,000 in legal fees. She is also seeking a court order for Closer to publish a half-page banner detailing the verdict.

But with a reported 600,000 copies of the printed magazine already sold, a €50,000 fine would still make the venture a runaway commercial and publicity success.

Miss Trierweiler remains in hospital, having "taken one pill too many" on hearing that the magazine was publishing the expose.

Le Point on Friday published a long interview with Mr Hollande, conducted last Friday – just after the affair had been revealed by Closer. The president did not speak about the allegations directly but referred to "sordid revelations".

Asked if he was capable of carrying on despite his low poll ratings and constant setbacks, he replied: "I'm used to taking blows. I've taken them all through my career, right from the start … You can give up and say it's all too difficult. You can say 'truce', wave the white flag, step aside. Or you can stick to it. I'm sticking to it."