A scandalous new backstory has emerged in one of the most replayed slaps of all time.
A French journalist alleged that Brigitte Macron’s viral on-camera swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron was triggered by a text she saw on her husband’s phone.
The text was allegedly from an actress, the journalist claimed in his book.
A scandalous new backstory has emerged in one of the most replayed slaps of all time
Highlights
- A French journalist has given a scandalous new backstory to one of the most viral on-camera slaps.
- Brigitte Macron shoved French President Emmanuel Macron because she was allegedly triggered by a text she saw on her husband's phone, the journalist claimed.
- The text was allegedly from Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani.
- Golshifteh has addressed rumors of a relationship with the French president.
Image credits: Antoine Gyori - Corbis/Getty Images
Cameras were rolling, and officials were waiting.
Everyone expected Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron to have their smiles on standby as they exited their plane upon landing in Hanoi, Vietnam, in May last year.
But when the door of the aircraft opened, the cameras captured the French first lady shoving her husband’s face away from her.
Image credits: Ghislain Mariette / Présidence de la République
Paris Match journalist Florian Tardif made sensational claims about the reason behind one of the most dissected on-camera slaps in recent history.
Brigitte “lost her temper” while they were aboard the presidential plane to Vietnam, Florian claimed in his new book, An (almost) perfect couple, which went on sale on Wednesday.
The journalist claimed the French president maintained a “platonic relationship” with Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani, 42, for several months.
However, there were some exchanges that “went quite far” and allegedly became a sore point for Brigitte, the author said in a Wednesday interview with RTL France.
“I find you very pretty,” read one of the messages Emmanuel allegedly sent her, Florian claimed.
Brigitte Macron shoved French President Emmanuel Macron after seeing a text on her husband’s phone, a French journalist alleged
Image credits: AP Photo/Hau Dinh
“[This] led to tensions within the couple, which resulted in this private scene becoming public,” Florian said.
Before they landed on Vietnamese soil, Brigitte saw a text message from the Iranian-French star on her husband’s phone.
“What hurt Brigitte was not so much the contents of the message as what it hinted at: a possibility … nothing tangible or that could really be denounced but the idea alone … was enough,” the journalist wrote in his book.
Quoting a friend of the French first lady, Florian said: “She [Brigitte] saw herself being erased.”
Image credits: Francois G. Durand/Getty Images
Representatives for the French first lady denied claims that Golshifteh had anything to do with her shoving her husband away. They also insisted that Brigitte would never check Emmanuel’s cellphone.
“Brigitte Macron categorically denied this account directly to the author on March 5th, specifying that she never looks at her husband’s mobile phone,” a representative told French outlet Le Parisien.
Golshifteh has also addressed rumors of a relationship with the French president, which gained momentum last year.
“I think that there is a lack of love for some people and they need to create romances like this to fill [the void],” the actress told Le Point earlier this year.
Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani addressed rumors about an illicit relationship between her and Emmanuel
Image credits: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty Images
Last year, back when news channels couldn’t stop replaying the Macron couple’s slap, Emmanuel’s office initially claimed the video was fake.
They then claimed the couple was being playful with each other.
An Élysée Palace official told French reporters that the incident showed “a moment of closeness,” but that was “enough to feed the conspiracy theorists.”
They were “decompressing one last time before the start of the visit, larking around,” said another Elysée source.
The president “loves playing jokes on his wife before official occasions, and she always responds like this … It wasn’t even a slap,” added the second source.
Image credits: Christian Dior
When Emmanuel addressed the incident himself, he also said he was joking around and teasing his wife.
“There’s a video showing me joking and teasing my wife and somehow that becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe, with people even coming up with theories to explain it,” he said at the time.
“The videos are all real, and yes, sometimes people tamper with them, but people are attributing all kinds of nonsense to them,” he added.
The French leader said he was simply joking around and teasing his wife in the viral moment
Image credits: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Emmanuel, 48, and Brigitte, 73, have been married for nearly two decades.
They met in 1993 when he was 15 and studying at the same school where Brigitte was a teacher.
At the time, she was known as Brigitte Trogneux, married to banker Andre Auziere and mother to three children, Sebastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine.
Image credits: Ron Przysucha/State Department
Biographer Anne Fulda previously claimed that Emmanuel’s parents initially thought he had a crush on their daughter Laurence, but it turned out to be her mother.
“We couldn't believe it. What is clear is that when Emmanuel met Brigitte we couldn't just say: ‘That's great!’” the French leader’s mother, Francoise, was quoted as saying in Anne’s book.
It was also alleged that the parents asked Brigitte to stay away from him until he turned 18 years old.
“I cannot promise you anything,” she allegedly replied.
Brigitte, who was a teacher at the school Emmanuel attended, previously addressed their 25-year age gap
A year after Brigitte divorced her husband, a 29-year-old Emmanuel and 54-year-old Brigitte tied the knot in 2007.
Brigitte once told Elle France that their 25-year age gap was a “joke” between them.
“Anything anyone might say about the 20 years' difference is just a big nothing,” she said.
“Of course, we have breakfast, me with my wrinkles, him with his fresh face, but that's how it is,” she added. “If I had not made that choice, I would have missed out on my life.”
“When you do your business, close the door off,” one commented online
