Hollande asked if Gayet affair has turned France into a 'joke'

British reporter grills French president about actress and asks if he wishes 'she was here'

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(Image credit: 2014 AFP)

THE question was inevitable, but when it came even some members of the hardened British press were taken aback.

French President Francois Hollande faced Fleet Street's finest today, his first encounter with the British press pack since revelations about his alleged affair with actress Julie Gayet came to light. The Daily Telegraph's senior political correspondent, Christopher Hope, led the charge asking: "Monsieur le President. I know this is a very sensitive subject for you. Do you think your private life has made France an international joke? Are you still having an affair with Julie Gayet? And do you wish she was here?"

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