French President Hollande confirms Trierweiler split

French President Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from his partner Valerie Trierweiler.

He told the French news agency AFP that their "shared life" had ended.
Earlier, his office at the Elysee Palace told the BBC "false rumours" had been circulating in the French media, and no statement would be forthcoming.

Valerie Trierweiler (R) was taken to hospital after allegations of the affair emerged

Two weeks ago a magazine published photos which appeared to show Mr Hollande had been having an affair with an actress, Julie Gayet.

Ms Trierweiler spent a week in hospital after the revelations.
Mr Hollande, who has never denied having an affair with Julie Gayet, has admitted to a "difficult moment" in his relationship with Ms Trierweiler.
At the time, he promised to clarify the situation before his official visit to Washington on 11 February.

Timeline: Hollande's partners

• 1988: Francois Hollande meets Valerie Trierweiler, she a journalist, he a Socialist Party MP with a steady partner, Segolene Royal
• Family years: Trierweiler raises three children with second husband, while Hollande raises four with his unmarried partner, Royal
• November 2007: Trierweiler announces she is Hollande's new partner, six months after he leaves Royal, who has just been defeated as the Socialist presidential candidate
• Early 2012: Hollande allegedly begins affair with actress Julie Gayet, who has two children from her first marriage to Santiago Amigorena
• May 2012: Trierweiler, still officially Hollande's unmarried partner, becomes first lady of France after his victory in the presidential election
• June 2013: Trierweiler wins damages of 10,000 euros (£8,300: $13,675) from authors of The Troublemaker, a book that made allegations about her private life before Hollande's election
• January 2014: Trierweiler is admitted to hospital after Closer publishes a report on Hollande's alleged affair with Gayet, accompanied by photos

• Profile: The women in his life

Mr Hollande told AFP he was speaking in a personal capacity and not as the head of state.

"I am making it known that I have put an end to my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler," he said.
On Thursday Ms Trierweiler sacked her lawyer for saying she was seeking to end her relationship with Mr Hollande "with the greatest possible dignity".
Ms Trierweiler, who has continued to work as a journalist for the glossy magazine Paris-Match, is travelling to India on Sunday in support of the work of the French charity Action Against Hunger.
Since she left hospital, she has been staying at an official residence, La Lanterne, near Versailles.
"He [Mr Hollande] has consulted her and brought her up to date, she accepts the situation as a fait accompli, but she is leaving it to him to take the initiative," a member of Ms Trierweiler's entourage told the newspaper Le Parisien.
Ms Trierweiler and Mr Hollande have never married. She announced their relationship six months after he left his previous partner, one-time French presidential candidate Segolene Royal, with whom he has four children.
For her part, Ms Gayet has announced she is suing Closer magazine, which published the original reports, for breach of privacy.
Closer magazine said that the affair had begun during the 2012 presidential race