France's former first lady has been accused of slapping a man in a Paris cafe after he asked after her ex, President Francois Hollande.
The man subsequently headed to a police station where he filed a complaint against Valerie Trierweiler over the incident yesterday, several sources said.
A source close to the affair who asked not to be identified said the row took place in Paris's southern 15th district.
The source said that according to the plaintiff's version of events, a cafe customer went up to Trierweiler and sarcastically asked how Hollande was doing. After an angry exchange, she allegedly slapped him.
In a kiss-and-tell best-seller released last year and translated into a dozen languages, Trierweiler laid bare her turbulent six-year relationship with Hollande, including 18 months by his side when the Socialist leader became president in 2012.
But her stint as first lady ended brutally when a celebrity magazine published photos of the head of state cheating on her with actress Julie Gayet.
News of the cafe slap was first released by RTL broadcaster, triggering a tweet from Trierweiler saying "A single word #stopboorishness", with no other comment.
A judicial source told AFP the complaint was filed on grounds of violent behaviour.
Under French proceedings that means the plaintiff will have to see a doctor to get a medical certificate stating how long he was unfit to work.
If the inquiry finds the alleged violence did not render him unfit to work for at least eight days, the complaint might lead to a fine by a police tribunal.
