Elysee Palace told the BBC the breakup rumors were false—but the French president himself says otherwise. Francois Hollande has confirmed that he and partner Valerie Trierweiler, France's first lady, have split up, AFP reports. "I wish to make it known that I have ended my partnership with Valerie Trierweiler," Hollande says. He "took the initiative for the separation," according to France's Journal du Dimanche, and he "wanted to make it official before Valerie Trierweiler's departure for India." Currently in a presidential residence after a hospital stay, Trierweiler is due to visit Mumbai tomorrow for a charity event.
Hollande and Trierweiler, a journalist, had been together for what AFP calls "the best part of a decade." News of the split comes on the heels of rumors that Hollande has been seeing actress Julie Gayet; France's Closer magazine says that affair started in 2012, the BBC notes. Gayet is suing Closer for invading her privacy. (More Francois Hollande stories.)
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