French President François Hollande has threatened to sue a French magazine after it alleged he was having an affair with beautiful married actress Julie Gayet.
Hollande claims Closer Magazine, which came under fire in 2012 for publishing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, breached his right to privacy after publishing photos taken outside a Paris apartment building.
The photos show a man arriving on a scooter with his face covered a motorcycle helmet. The magazine claimed this man was the French leader.
Images claimed to be taken the following morning show the man emerging from the apartment building, again with the helmet. A woman resembling Gayet then comes out.
The president’s office issued a statement saying Mr Hollande “greatly deplores the invasion of his privacy, to which he has a right as any other citizen does.”
He was “studying what action, including legal action, to take following this publication,” the statement said.
Neither Gayet or Mr Hollande have addressed the veracity of the claims, even though rumors have swirled on French gossip websites for months.
The Socialist leader has never been married but has for a number of years lived with the former journalist Valerie Trierweiler, who is considered France’s first lady.