French President Francois Hollande Splits From His Partner

French President Francois Hollande confirmed his split from partner Valerie Trierweiler on Saturday, the BBC reports.

Hollande, 59, was expected to announce the separation in a formal statement on Saturday, but instead, saying he was speaking in a personal capacity, told the AFP: "I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler."

The split comes two weeks after a French publication, Closer magazine, published photographs that appeared to show the French President with actress Julie Gayet, with whom he was allegedly having an affair. Trierweiler was hospitalized for reportedly taking "one pill too many" following the incident.

Hollande and Trierweiler, 48, never married, but according to The Telegraph she "fulfilled the role of first lady with a staff of four based in an office at the Elysée Palace, costing French taxpayers' nearly €20,000 a month."

Trierweiler is also an arts columnist for a French magazine, Paris Match.