Macron allegedly messaged Iranian actress:Viral clip sparked claims of spousal slap last year

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are back in the headlines after a new book claimed that Brigitte slapped her husband during an overseas trip last year. According to the New York Post, the claim was made by French journalist Florian Tardif in his new book Un Couple (Presque) Parfait (An (Almost) Perfect Couple), which was published on Wednesday, 13 May. The book says the disagreement was linked to alleged messages between Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani and President Macron. According to the report, Macron had been sending messages to the actress. In one alleged message, he reportedly wrote: “I find you very beautiful.” French media reports said Macron and Farahani had a “platonic relationship” for several months. However, the reports added that the relationship was limited to emotional and private conversations only. Also Read | Trump says Macron still recovering from being slapped by wife Claim: Dispute between husband and wife grew over actress According to the book, last May, when the Macron couple arrived in Hanoi, Brigitte Macron reportedly saw a message from the actress on her husband’s phone shortly before they got off the plane. The book claims this caused the argument between the couple to grow worse. At the time, cameras recorded a video in which Brigitte Macron appeared to slap her husband, Emmanuel Macron. The video quickly went viral on social media and attracted worldwide attention. Journalist Florian Tardif said the actress’s messages created tension between the couple and that the private dispute later became public. The book also quotes a friend as saying that Brigitte Macron felt her position was slowly weakening. Brigitte Macron denied all claims However, Brigitte Macron’s team has denied all the claims. Her representatives said Brigitte never checks her husband’s mobile phone and that the claims made in the book are false. Meanwhile, actress Golshifteh Farahani had already rejected reports of any relationship with President Emmanuel Macron. In an interview in March, she said that some people create such stories because of a lack of love. Macron’s team called it a mutual joke When the video first appeared, Macron’s team initially suggested it may have been fake or created using AI. Later, the team said it was simply a light-hearted moment and a joke between the couple. People close to Macron said the President often jokes with his wife before official events, and Brigitte responds in a similar way. President Macron himself later said they were both joking at the time. He asked people not to exaggerate the incident and to stay calm. So far, no official statement on the new book has been made by the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French President. Get to know French journalist Florian Tardif Florian Tardif is a French journalist and author known for covering politics, power and major French political figures. He worked for several years with the French magazine Paris Match and has also worked as a political expert and reporter for the French TV channel CNews. In France, Tardif is known as a journalist who openly writes about sensitive political and power-related issues. His reporting style has often sparked debate and controversy. Macron’s wife Brigitte is 24 years older than him In 1992, when Emmanuel Macron was 15 years old, he met Brigitte Macron, then known as Brigitte Trogneux. At the time, Brigitte was 39 and worked as a French and drama teacher at La Providence High School in northern France, where Emmanuel was a student. Brigitte’s daughter was Macron’s classmate. The two were close friends and were often seen together, leading many people to believe they were in a relationship. However, Macron was interested not in his classmate but in her mother, who was his teacher. Emmanuel later joined the school’s drama club, where Brigitte taught drama. The two worked together on a play, with Emmanuel helping to write the script. According to reports, this was when they began to grow close. Father made him leave school, yet the love remained Emmanuel Macron later revealed that he had fallen in love with Brigitte Macron at that time. As the two grew closer, their relationship became a topic of discussion at school. Macron’s parents opposed the relationship and sent him to Paris so he would stay away from Brigitte. According to reports, Brigitte was also warned to stay away from Emmanuel until he became an adult. In an interview, Macron later said that at the time he had decided he needed to succeed and wanted to prove to his parents that loving his teacher had not been a mistake. During his studies in Paris, Emmanuel stayed in contact with Brigitte through letters and phone calls. He later said in an interview that he had told Brigitte he would marry her no matter what happened. Divorced husband 14 years after meeting Macron Brigitte Macron’s former husband was banker André-Louis Auzière. Brigitte divorced him in 2006. A year later, in 2007, she married Emmanuel Macron in the French coastal town of Le Touquet. At the time, Emmanuel was 29, and Brigitte was 54. During his wedding speech, Macron thanked Brigitte’s children for accepting him. Macron has never spoken about wanting children of his own, and lives with Brigitte’s children and grandchildren as a family. After their marriage, Brigitte played an important role in Emmanuel’s career. She became one of his advisers and was actively involved in his political campaigns. Brigitte later left her teaching job and now carries out her duties as France’s First Lady. ​