Brigitte Macron has denied claims that she slapped her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, after reading text exchanges between him and actress Golshifteh Farahani. The incident allegedly occurred last year during a state visit to Vietnam, when the first lady appeared to push the president in front of cameras.
According to a new book by Florian Tardif, titled Un Couple (Presque) Parfait (“An (Almost) Perfect Couple”), Mrs Macron was enraged after seeing an alleged text exchange in which Mr Macron wrote to Ms Farahani: “I find you very pretty.” The author claimed the correspondence “went quite far” and led to a “longer and harsher than usual” dispute.
However, sources close to Mrs Macron told French newspaper Le Parisien that she “categorically denied this account directly to the author on March 5, specifying that she never looks at her husband's mobile phone.” An unnamed source also told Politico that she “has categorically denied” the claims. The Elysée Palace has not given an official response beyond dismissing the incident as “horseplay” at the time.
Ms Farahani, 42, has previously dismissed rumours of a relationship with Mr Macron, telling Gala magazine last August: “It comes in waves, it appears, disappears... It doesn't even bother me.” She added: “The question is why people are interested in this kind of story. I think there's a lack of love in some people.”
Mrs Macron, 73, has faced a litany of attacks and conspiracy theories during her time as first lady. Last month, she told La Tribune Dimanche that the role had left her “sometimes sadder than I have ever been”. Earlier this year, 10 people were found guilty of cyber-bullying her after spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality.
