French President Scandal: Valerie Trierweiler Had Enough, Splits with Francois Hollande After Julie Gayet Affair

In a report made by Reuters following the rumors of French President Francois Hollande's affair with actress Julie Gayet, the leader announced his separation from first lady Valerie Trierweiler.

He told Agence France Presse news agency, "I wish to make it known that I have ended my partnership with Valerie Trierweiler."

The issue came up when celebrity magazine, Closer, published reports of an alleged affair, and the president sought to find ways to end the turbulence that diverted the public's attention from his policies aimed to revive the economy in the face of unemployment.

The president, who was supposed to unveil economic reforms in a news conference, was overshadowed by questions concerning his private life instead. Hollande then spoke as an individual as he announced the separation with his long-time partner.

Trierweiler, an arts columnist for Paris Match, was not married to the president, but they have been together since 2006, and she has assumed her role at official functions as the first lady since Hollande was elected in 2012.

After news of the affair broke, Trierweiler was hospitalized for fatigue and has since sought sanctuary at a secluded secondary resident of the president near Versailles. She later on left the house and refused to return.

In a public statement, Treirweiler thanked the staff of the presidential palace, tweeting, "I will never forget their devotion, nor the emotion at the time of my departure."

Hollande is by far the most unpopular president in Modern France and has struggled to live up to his promise to keep unemployment on a firm downward trend.

The reports have had little effect on Hollande's popularity, however, as the French media focused more on the unprecedented breach of presidential privacy from the magazine which published the story of the affair. A poll made shortly after the report showed that 84 percent of those surveyed did not change their opinion on Hollande, and 77 percent considered the matter to be private.

In a report by Time, the president was "optimistic but cautious" about the recovery of the European economy. Hollande said on the matter, "It's over. That's not to say there will never be a crisis again. That would be a very hazardous forecast for any economist."

Hollande has four children from a previous relationship with 2007 presidential candidate, Segolene Royal, their separation being announced by Royal soon after she lost the election to Nicolas Sorkozy.