France's first lady hospitalized after report of Hollande's affair

The first lady of France, Valerie Trierweiler, has been hospitalized since Friday following allegations that President Francois Hollande has been having an affair with a French actress, a top member of Trierweiler's staff said.

Patrice Biancone, head of Trierweiler's Elysee office, told CNN, "She needed rest. We are hoping that she will leave the hospital at the beginning of this week."

He said that the first lady entered a hospital after allegations surfaced in the French tabloid Closer linking Hollande romantically to actress Julie Gayet.

"We all know why she went in after the story came out," said Biancone, clearly making the link between the revelations of the magazine and Trierweiler's hospitalization.

Trierweiler and Hollande are not married but live together, and she makes official state appearances. They met when she was a reporter for Paris Match magazine, a publication she still works for.

Hollande, 59, left his longtime common-law wife, Segolene Royal -- the mother of his four children -- for Trierweiler, 48, before the 2012 presidential election.

Closer reported Hollande had been slipping out of the back door of the Elysee Palace and hopping on a motor scooter driven by a bodyguard to Gayet's apartment. The magazine also reported the bodyguard brought croissants to the apartment one morning.

Hollande has not denied the affair but has threatened legal action.

Le Parisien first reported Trierweiler has been hospitalized since Thursday. The paper said the full story will appear in Monday's edition.