In a tell-all book set to be released Thursday, France's former first lady Valerie Trierweiler says she took sleeping pills when news broke of President François Hollande's affair with French actress Julie Gayet.
The incident and her account of the breakup is described in an excerpt from her upcoming book, "Thank You For This Moment," published by the magazine Paris Match. In January of 2014, gossip magazine Closer published infamous photos of Hollande visiting Gayet's apartment. The affair and subsequent break-up with Trierweiler captivated France for weeks.
Trierweiler writes: “News of [Hollande's affair with actress] Julie Gayet makes the morning headlines. I crack, I cannot hear that, I rush to the bathroom. I grab the small plastic bag that contains sleeping pills. Francois followed me. He attempts to grab the bag from me. I run to the bedroom. He grasp the bag that rips open. The pills spill out onto the bed and the floor. I manage to recuperate them. I swallow what I can."
In another extract published by Le Monde, Trierweiler writes that France's socialist president hates the poor: "He portrays himself as a man who does not like the rich. In reality, the president does not like the poor. He, the left-wing man, calls them 'the toothless,' very proud of his humor."
The 'sans dents' comment didn't take long to spread on social media. The hashtag #sansdents is a top trend in France and a Facebook group called "Les Sans-Dents" is organizing a protest at the Elysee palace on Friday.
SOCIAL
- Nancy Ing and Emmanuelle Saliba