PARIS
French President Francois Hollande broke the silence on Wednesday over his former partner Valerie Trierweiler's best selling book, 'Merci Pour Ce Moment' (Thank You for This Moment), in which she reveals her life as France's first lady and her acrimonious split from Hollande.
The memoir; "Merci pour le Moment" details Trierweiler’s almost two years at the Elysee Palace and revealed that Hollande does not like poor people, calling them “sans-dents” (toothless ones).
"He portrays himself as a man who does not like the rich. In reality, the president does not like the poor," Trierweiler wrote.
Hollande, 60, accused Trierweiler of lying and refuted these claims in the French weekly, Le Nouvel Observateur, saying the "toothless ones is a lie that hurts me."
"In all my offices, I haven't thought of anything but helping and representing those who suffer. I've never been on the side of the powerful, although I'm not their enemy," said Hollande adding that he considers this attack on the poor and the needy as a blow to his whole life.
He said that he didn't forget his "modest" origins. "Do you think I've forgotten where I come from?" Hollande asked, explaining that his maternal grandfather was a small tailor who lived with his family in a modest apartment in Paris, while his paternal grandfather was a teacher from a poor peasant family in northern France.
Tweeters in France stormed Twitter with the hashtag #sansdents as they shared 'edited' photos of Hollande with his teeth removed.
Journalist Trierweiler, 49, and Hollande met in 2005 while he was in a relationship with current Energy Minister Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children. Hollande officially left Royal for Trierweiler in 2007. She was his partner for seven years until the split in January when she found out about his affair with actress Julie Gayet. She became France's first lady after he was elected in 2012.
She described him as "cold" since the day he came to power. Of her role she says; "I’m his stooge, but I have no value".
Since last Thursday, Trierweiler's book became a number one best-seller on Amazon France. All 200,000 copies of the first print were sold out within days and more are being produced.
Hollande, the most unpopular French president to date, is under pressure as he presided over three governments in just over two years in power. He vowed that "no poll or any political rumor will make him leave and resign."
The new government is due to face a vote of confidence on September 16.
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