President Francois Hollande of France threatened on Friday to sue a celebrity magazine after it alleged he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.
Actress Julie Gayet. Photo: AFP (file)
Closer, a weekly French tabloid, which published topless pictures of Kate Middleton in 2012, printed seven pages of photos of comings and goings outside a Paris apartment block to support its report.
"Francois Hollande greatly deplores the invasion of his privacy, to which he has a right as any other citizen does. He is studying what action, including legal action, to take following this publication," a source in Mr Hollande's office said. However the source did not directly deny the story.
In a statement later on Friday, Closer said that at the request of Ms Gayet's lawyer it would remove all reference to the relationship from its website, but there was no mention of plans to pull the publication from newsstands.
The pictures purportedly show the pair arriving separately at the apartment block in the eighth arrondissement late at night. Mr Hollande, wearing a helmet, is on a motorbike driven by a chauffeur.
The BBC reports Ms Gayet, 41, filed a complaint for breach of privacy last March after rumours of an affair with Mr Hollande became public.
Allies and foes of Mr Hollande defended his right to privacy.
Mr Hollande's official partner is Valerie Trierweiler, a journalist for whom he left Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children.
Ms Gayet has appeared in more than 50 films and once appeared in one of Mr Hollande's election campaign television advertisements.
