France is known as the country of romance, the current president Macron married his own high school teacher, the two are 24 years apart but very affectionate, this love story is widely known. But before him, there was another French president, although he was still unmarried, but his affair history became the talk of the whole French people. He steals, splits legs, and is a typical playboy.
Former French President François Hollande
Today, let's talk to you about the former President of France, Hollande, and his entangled affair history.
François Hollande was born on August 12, 1954 in Rouen, northern France, and his family politics were strong. Hollande's father, a doctor, ran for president in support of the right-wing presidential candidates of the time, while his mother was a social worker who supported left-wing parties. This family background made Hollande very interested in politics from an early age, and when Hollande was 14 years old, the family moved to Paris.
The first half of Hollande's life is a typical model of the academic elite, he studied at the Pasteur Secondary School, then was admitted to the University of Paris II, and then because of his excellent academic performance, he was able to study at the Sciences Po and the National School of Administration.
These two colleges are the top universities in France and are known as the cradle of French political and business leaders, with an acceptance rate of less than 10% all year round. The students who can study here are all the elite of the elite, and Hollande is one of them. When he graduated from the National School of Administration, he finished 7th in the class.
Young Hollande
With the aura of academic qualifications as a stepping stone, Hollande entered the road to politics.
At the age of 25, he joined the French Socialist Party, and two years later Socialist Leader Mitterrand came to power, and Hollande began working in local government and was elected to parliament in 1988 and then became the first secretary of the Socialist Party. As Hollande rose to fame in politics, his private life came to prominence, most notably his girlfriend Royal.
Segolena Royal, who bears many similarities to Hollande's life experience. Royal, who was only a year older than Hollande, studied at Sciences Po and the National School of Administration, were both members of the French Socialist Party, and were elected to Parliament in the same year. It can be said that Hollande and Royal were a pair of rising political stars in France at that time.
Hollande
And the relationship between them began when they were in school. After being elected to Congress together, the love story of this political elite couple gradually became known to the public. They are also known as "Clinton and Hillary of France". However, although they have actually lived together and have several children. But Hollande and Royal never officially registered their marriage, and from another point of view, they are still just lovers.
This overly open lifestyle can only be recognized in bohemian France, but when it comes to career achievements, Royal was more dazzling than Hollande, and while Hollande was still busy with party work, Royal was highly regarded by President Mitterrand and successively served as minister of environment, education and society.
And he performed well in these posts, and he was well-known in the party and in the people. At that time, Hollande could only act as a foil around Royal, and he was also nicknamed "Monsieur Royal". This is very difficult for the arrogant Hollande to accept, but the public perception is powerless to change, this state of strong women and weak men. This became the tone of the relationship between the two, causing Hollande's resentment to gradually accumulate, and the relationship between the two also cracked.
Segolena Royal
By the end of 2006, Royal announced that she was running for president, and her popularity soared.
Hollande, who was originally the leader of the Socialist Party, also plans to run for this general election. But the limelight was snatched up by Royal, and in the primary stage of the general election, in the voting process of the party, Hollande, as the first secretary, had a much lower vote than Royal, and he could only announce his withdrawal helplessly, and finally Royal represented the Socialist Party, but in the end, Royal did not win. She lost the election by a narrow margin. Sarkozy of the Union of Popular Movements was successfully elected President of France.
That is, after the defeat of the Royal election, the two announced the end of their relationship. But according to the reporter's investigation, the election failure was not the reason for their breakup. In fact, Royal had discovered Hollande's affair long before that, and in order not to affect the election, they did not part ways at that time.
Hollande and Valerie
The story of "Hillary and Clinton" in France came to an end.
And the "Lewinsky" who stepped in was called Valerie Trierweiler, Hollande's second girlfriend. Unlike Royal, who worked in politics, Valerie was a journalist who worked for the Paris Pictorial Competition. She and Hollande had known each other for a long time, first met at an event in 2005, and have been friends ever since. As Hollande and Royal became estranged, he and Valerie became closer and closer, and during their relationship with Hollande, Valerie was actually still a married wife.
Her husband is the editor-in-chief of the Paris Competition Pictorial, and the two have three children. But after catching up with Hollande, Valerie apparently became obsessed with her new love and forgot her old love, and she divorced her husband in 2007, which was also the time when Royal and Hollande broke up.
Hollande selects presidents
After announcing his relationship with Valerie, Hollande's career went smoothly.
In the 2012 presidential race, Hollande defeated Sarkozy, who was seeking re-election. Valerie accompanied Hollande to the Elysee Palace as a "first companion", with an official office and a monthly budget of 20,000 euros. Although she is the "first partner", she has not given up her job, still works for the Paris Competition Pictorial, often interviewing all over the streets, which can be seen from her attitude towards work.
Valerie is very independent, has a strong personality, and has a bad temper. Hollande's staff called her a tigress and a vinegar jar, and she used to eat Royal's vinegar. Even if Hollande and Royal broke up later, she did not stop there. After Hollande's election as president, local elections were held in France, and Valerie used her status as a media person to support Royal's campaign opponents, which eventually led to the defeat of the Royal election.
French magazine closer
Although Valerie is very vigilant and vigilant against the women around her, Hollande's flowery nature is difficult to move.
On January 10, 2015, the French magazine Closer exposed several photos revealing Hollande's relationship with an actress, Gaya. The magazine said "Hollande and Gaya spent the night in their apartment not far from the Elysee Palace, and the president's bodyguards delivered them croissants the next morning.". This report was immediately spread throughout the streets and alleys. Hollande in the exposed photo, wearing a helmet used to hide his identity, became a hit and sold out on the Internet.
Valerie, who heard the news, reacted exaggeratedly, and she was sent to the hospital for ten days of treatment because of neurasthenia and low blood pressure. However, for the president's private affair, the French people are very open,77% of french voters think that this is a simple private matter, and has nothing to do with the president's political actions. There are even many people who think that Hollande secretly goes on a date with Gaya on a motorcycle in the middle of the night. Hollande's already depressed approval rating even rose by 2% during this period, and after Gaya's relationship was exposed, Hollande's relationship with Valerie naturally came to an end.
In 2014, Hollande announced that he and Valerie had since broken up, and after Valerie left Hollande, he also wrote a memoir to spit on Many of Hollande's stories and reveal his private life with the French president.
In the book, she criticizes Hollande as a hypocrite who seems to be close to the people but actually hates the poor, and how Hollande confesses to himself about his private relationship with Gaya. Although Valerie was not popular with the public, this gossipy memoir quickly made it to the best-seller list.
Julie Gaye and Hollande
Hollande's third girlfriend, Julie Gaya, is an actress and producer.
Her father was a famous surgeon in Paris and a close friend of Hollande's. Compared with the extroverted Valerie, who loves to be in the limelight, her performance is very low-key. Gaye and Hollande met in 2012, when she filmed a video canvassing for Hollande's presidential campaign. In the days since Hollande took office, the relationship between the two has gradually become closer, and when Hollande and Valerie break up and announce that they are dating Gaya, Gaye is actually four months pregnant.
The French media also went viral that Hollande would marry Gaye after the birth of the child, but in the end this did not happen. Hollande remained single, but at the end of Hollande's tenure, Royal once again became an important figure around him.
As a veteran politician, Royal served as minister of environment and energy, but his position far exceeded that of other ministers, and he played a pivotal role in the cabinet. Some French media wrote that "Royal is actually the uncrowned vice president" and that she plays an important role in French politics. Without her support and help, the Approval Rating for the Hollande government would have been even lower.
Hollande and Royal
When Hollande visited China in 2015, he was followed by Royal. A few months ago, the Spanish king and his wife visited, and it was also Royal who temporarily accompanied Hollande as the "first lady" to receive them. In a later television interview, Hollande said: "It was fortunate enough to meet Royal."
But when asked by a reporter whether her and Hollande's travels meant a new change in their relationship, Royal responded: "I feel like I'm just doing my job, and a lot of times it's just a matter of diplomatic etiquette."
In 2016, Hollande announced that he would not pursue re-election, and he left the presidency. Perhaps because of his affair, the French masses often ignore his poor performance in governance and instead use his cheating story as a talking point in the streets.
Hollande waived re-election
Many of Hollande's policies were resisted during Mr. Hollande's administration, and support fell to the bottom in late 2016. Only 4 percent are called the most unpopular presidents in history, which is one of the reasons why he eventually gave up re-election to retire.
In French culture, openness and passion are the mainstream of history. Their views on marriage are not serious, which is an important reason why a president like Hollande, who is constantly engaged in sex scandals, will not be criticized for this! Maybe that's the unique charm of France.