France's first lady Valerie Trierweiler collapsed and was rushed to hospital after being told of President Francois Hollande’s secret trysts with an actress, it emerged last night.
Distraught Miss Trierweiler, 48, was admitted for treatment following the publication of photographs of the French leader sneaking in and out of his love-nest.
Last night she was still in hospital undergoing tests and was being ‘left to rest’, a spokesman said.
Sources said Miss Trierweiler was being treated for shock and exhaustion, while one newspaper said she was ‘very depressed’ by the revelations, which place her grand lifestyle under threat.
As first lady, Miss Trierweiler – who is not married to Mr Hollande – has enjoyed all the perks of a presidential wife with a retinue of staff and a generous budget.
But her place in the 59-year-old president’s affections appears to have been taken by Julie Gayet, a 41-year-old actress who has been conducting a secret affair with the Socialist head of state since last year. Mr Hollande, whose popularity was already at rock bottom as France teeters on the brink of economic crisis, has been urged to ‘clarify’ his love life.
An opinion poll yesterday showed the vast majority of French voters – 89 per cent – want him to separate from Miss Trierweiler, which would make her the first ‘premiere dame’ in history to be kicked out of the Elysee Palace.
It reflects mounting anger that the already unpopular Miss Trierweiler maintains her own office at the palace, costing French taxpayers a small fortune.
The Paris Match journalist has five staff working for her, at a cost of £17,000 per month, and her taxpayer-funded perks included homes across France, and private jets and limousines at her disposal as she represents the nation at home and abroad.
Miss Trierweiler became Mr Hollande’s live-in girlfriend following his separation from fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children. Mr Hollande is was said to have taken her as mistress while still living with Miss Royal.
Miss Trierweiler has been a deeply controversial figure since moving into the Elysée following Mr Hollande’s presidential election win in 2012.
She was told on Thursday evening that the French magazine Closer was preparing to publish a seven-page exposé of Mr Hollande’s philandering.
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