France's culture minister today blocked actress Julie Gayet from becoming a jury member of a prestigious French academy in Rome following revelations she was having an affair with President Francois Hollande.
Investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine revealed that the 41-year-old had been nominated before Christmas as a member of the 2014 jury for a French academy at the sumptuous Villa Medici, which every year selects a group of French-speaking artists for a 12- to 18-month residency.
Jury members are tasked with auditioning candidates for the prestigious fellowship among writers, filmmakers, photographers, stage designers, art historians and others.
But today, the culture ministry said the actress -- whose affair with Hollande was revealed last week by glossy magazine Closer, prompting his devastated partner to check into hospital for stress -- would not be appointed as planned.
"Her name was put forward by Eric de Chassey, director of the Academy of France in Rome-Villa Medici, but the minister decided not to appoint her," the office of Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said.
"I do not want to give rise to any controversy," Filippetti later told journalists.
"She was completely competent to be a member of the jury... But it was not helpful to add another controversial issue."
Gayet had been due to be part of the jury alongside other personalities such as French prima ballerina Marie-Agnes Gillot and Italian composer Lucia Ronchetti.
