Brigitte Macron 'demands photos of any woman who wants to work in Élysée'

Brigitte Macron, the wife of France’s President Emmanuel Macron would ask to see photos of women applying for jobs at the Élysée Palace, it has been reported. The First Lady, 74, would apparently shout: “Show me!” If she were not satisfied, or concerned about their beauty, she would then purportedly add: “She won’t be coming to the Élysée!” This is according to author Florian Tardif, a young political affairs correspondent at Paris Match magazine.

He claimed that this judgement from “very jealous” Brigitte would be enough to seal a female applicant’s fate, “even before she’s considered”. It comes after reports that Mrs Macron had denied claims she slapped her husband, 48, in the face last year after reading text messages between him and French-Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani, 42. A video posted online appeared to show Brigitte shoving her husband in the face after the door of their plane had been opened in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Sources told French newspaper Le Parisien that Brigitte “categorically denied this account”, specifying that she “never looks at her husband’s mobile phone”.

The clip was shared on social media, with Mr Macron insisting that they were “just joking around”.

The Elysee Palace called the incident “horseplay”.

But Mr Tardif has claimed that texts between Mr Macron and Ms Farahani, 42, “went quite far”, including one allegedly reading: “I find you very pretty”.

His book, Un Couple (Presque) Parfait – in English, An (Almost) Perfect Couple – is at the moment only available to buy in French, the Daily Mail reports.

Tardif wrote that Brigitte “has always known that women are predators… and that’s why she’s wary of them.”

He added: “This has undoubtedly contributed to the fact that the president is mostly surrounded by men.”

The author alleged that Mr Macron told his wife’s chief of staff upon taking office in 2017: “Brigitte needs to be happy.

“If she’s bored, if she feels useless – if, in the evening when I get home, she tells me she’s unhappy – I won’t be able to cope.

“And I’ll fail this presidential term.”

Mr Macron’s purported relationship with Ms Farahani is thought to be platonic, although the two people are believed to be very fond of each other.

Tardif wrote: “What hurt Brigitte was not so much the content of the message as what it implied: a possibility.

“A door ajar onto a world she thought she controlled. Nothing tangible, nor truly reprehensible, but the mere idea that it could have existed was enough.”