French Actress Julie Gayet Sues Over Rumours of Dating the President

French actress Julie Gayet has launched legal action over rumours on the internet that she is the mistress of President Francois Hollande, her lawyer has confirmed.

Judicial sources said Gayet, a 40-year-old who appeared in one of Mr Hollande's 2012 election commercials, has filed a complaint  with Paris prosecutors relating to an alleged breach of her right to a private life.
The move came after she was reported or implied by various bloggers and websites to have become close to the president.
Mr Hollande, 58, lives with his partner Valerie Trierweiler, a glamorous journalist for whom he left fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children.
His office refused to comment. In a statement, Gayet's lawyer Vincent Toledano said there was no basis to the rumours.
"The actress Julie Gayet has instructed my chambers to take legal action over the rumour, widely disseminated on the internet, suggesting, with no foundation, that she has a romantic relationship with the president of the republic," the statement said.
"She expects her right to a private family life to be respected as there is nothing to justify these claims."
Gayet is an established television and cinema character actress who has appeared in more than 50 films. She is the mother of two children.

 She is due to appear as Helen of Troy in a forthcoming TV series called Odysseus.
In the campaign video she filmed for Mr Hollande, she described the then-candidate as "marvellous" but also "humble and a really good listener".

It was a performance that appears to have been sufficiently convincing to persuade some viewers that her praise was based on more than admiration for Mr Hollande's policies.
Gayet is also a strong backer of same-sex marriage, one of the president's key election pledges that he appears determined to implement despite stiff opposition from the Catholic Church and the mainstream centre-right opposition.

President Hollande

Mr Hollande had to brave a demonstration over the planned legalisation of same-sex marriage outside TV studios where he was giving a major television interview on Thursday.