A bombshell new book has claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face by his wife Brigitte after she discovered he had been sending flirtatious text messages to a famous actress. The incident, which was captured on video last year, occurred as the couple prepared to disembark from a government plane for an official visit to Vietnam.
The Alleged Incident
The widely circulated footage showed Brigitte Macron appearing to strike the president across the face moments before they left the aircraft. At the time, a source close to Macron told French media that it was merely a brief episode of a married couple “bickering.” However, a new book by Florian Tardif, political editor of Paris Match magazine, has made explosive allegations about the root cause of the argument.
Claims in the New Book
In his book titled A (Nearly) Perfect Couple, Tardif claims that Brigitte Macron discovered a message her husband had sent to Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani, in which he told her she was “very beautiful.” Tardif asserts that he spoke to more than 70 sources to corroborate his account, including the French First Lady herself.
Speaking to RTL radio, Tardif said: “The French president had a platonic love affair with the actress for several months. They had told me this repeatedly. The messages they showed me were quite advanced, of the style of ‘you are very beautiful.’ These messages led to tensions that ended with the private quarrel becoming public.”
Background
Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron have been married since 2007. Brigitte, who is 24 years older than the president, was his former teacher. The couple has often been in the public eye, but this incident has sparked widespread speculation about their relationship. The Macrons have not publicly commented on the allegations in Tardif’s book.
The actress, Golshifteh Farahani, has not responded to the claims. She is known for her roles in both Iranian and international cinema, including films such as About Elly and Paterson.
