New Delhi: A year after French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped by his wife in a moment caught on camera, is reportedly linked to a “flirty” exchange between him and Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani.

The book Un Couple (Presque) Parfait or An (Almost) Perfect Couple, written by journalist Florian Tardif, claims that Macron is in a “platonic relationship” with Farahani, a rumour that has been floating since last year.

Based on the interviews of 70 political insiders, staff members and security personnel, Tardif has tried to uncover the domestic tensions, arguments and power dynamics behind the carefully curated public image of the Macrons.

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The book centres around the “slap” incident, which became a public spectacle last year. It has also thrown light on the French government’s role in hiding signs of marital problems just to protect Macron’s political standing.

Florian Tardiff is a political journalist for Paris Match, owned by French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, who has created a media network—described by watchdogs as pushing French media toward the far-right. Bolloré owns major media companies like radio station Europe 1 and publisher Hachette. Tardiff has worked for seven years for C News, the far-right tv channel owned by Bolloré.

Since the book’s release on 13 May, the internet has erupted with reactions, memes, and theories.

‘Iranian bombshell’

The book explores the “tumultuous, high-profile” relationship of the French president and his wife, Brigitte, who have been married for more than two decades. It highlights the infamous moment when the first lady was captured in a video slapping the French President while preparing to disembark their plane in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Tardif claims that Brigitte found messages from the Iranian actress on her husband’s phone.

Following the book’s claims, a France-based independent media house, AlertesInfos, posted “disturbing” statements made by Farahani in March 2025.

“In France, too, there is the culture of the mistress and the lover. Why stay with your wife if we are no longer in love with her or if we are in love with someone else?”, the media house reported.

“My theory is that all Frenchmen are stuck with their mother. Their first wife is the mother they never had, and once they have her, they never let her go”, AlertesInfos posted on X.

Soon after, internet users started a meme fest. One X user shared a collage of Marcon with the caption: “When the Iranian baddie blocks you”

When the Iranian baddie blocks you pic.twitter.com/rLkn6exEkZ

— rammy 🏳 (@rammy_c8) May 14, 2026

Another posted the French President saying no to bombing Iran and yes to an Iranian bombshell. 

https://t.co/GXyZIClP3n pic.twitter.com/Bb6r0W3A7s

— Anang Mittal अनंग मित्तल (@anangbhai) May 14, 2026

A common stereotype about the French is that they have a highly permissive, “laissez-faire” attitude toward extramarital affairs, viewing them as a normal rather than a moral failure. Many social media users are now trolling the alleged affair for being labelled “platonic”.

“Are you even the French president if you don’t have a side piece and pissed off wife,” wrote Robert Stephen Schmitt III, an American conservative news anchor. 

Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport, also weighed in on the French stereotype. 

“How insulting is it in France to be in a platonic relationship,” he posted. 

While some had a funnier take to the alleged relationship, with one user asking, “French president does long distance flirtuationship too so, me and who?”

Also Read: Watch: Emmanuel Macron sings ‘La Boheme’ with Armenian PM on drums

“I find you pretty”

Last year, Le Parisien reported that moments before the slap, Brigitte had read a message on Macron’s phone from Farahani. On Wednesday, Brigitte’s team insisted that she would never check her husband’s phone.

The New York Post reported that Tardif is standing by the book, and quoted a friend of  Brigitte’s as saying, “She saw herself being erased”.

The book claims that Macron texted the 42-year-old actor, “I find you very pretty.”

Farahani, who is a critic of the Iranian regime, has denied rumours of any relationship with Macron.

(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)