Julie Gayet

Julie Gayet at Deauville

What the French president’s affair and separation say about love, politics and French culture

Arts, Culture & Media

This weekend, French President François Hollande confirmed that he is separating from his partner Valérie Trierweiler. The French seemed to shrug at the news of Hollande’s affair with actress Julie Gayet, seeing love and politics as separate. But France’s neighbors and its former colonies don’t necessarily agree.