Hollande visits Trierweiler in hospital, Gayet sues Closer

French President François Hollande visited his partner, Valérie Trierweiler, in hospital on Thursday for the first time since claims that he is having an affair hit the media, the Elysée Palace has announced. His alleged lover, actress Julie Gayet, is suing Closer, the magazine that broke story, for 50,000 euros in damages.

Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

Hollande visited Trierweiler on Thursday, the presidential palace announced on Friday.

Earlier doctors were reported to have forbidden him to see her following her

hospitalisation on Friday because she "needed to rest".

Gayet is suing Closer for invasion of privacy and wants 50,000 euros in damages for its reports that she and Hollande had secret trysts in a Paris apartment.

If Gayet's case is upheld, Closer will have to add 4,000 euros for legal costs and publish the legal verdict on its front page.

But the scoop should still be an earner as Closer sold 600,000 copies of its edition with the Hollande-Gayet pictures, twice its usual sales.

Hollande, who also slammed the report as an attack on his right to privacy last week, ruled out legal action on his on behalf.

Unperturbed by the charges, Closer on Friday published a new series of pictures and claimed that François Hollande and Julie Gayet "have been in love for two years",  spending time at a second Paris apartment near l'Elysée and weekends in the south of France.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Hollande batted away questions about the affair.

Gayet has denied claims on social networks that she is four months pregnant.