Emmanuel Macron "panics" if he cannot see his wife Brigitte, a new book detailing the married couple's lives behind closed doors has revealed.
"Un couple (presque) parfait", which translates to An Almost Perfect Couple, has shone a new light on the pair's relationship.
Penned by Paris Match journalist Florian Tadif, the intimate intricacies of one of Europe's most influential political power couples are laid bare by a series of political advisers and friends.
The same book, published last Wednesday, fueled speculation about a secret romance between the French President and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani.
But the reporter claimed the pair simply had a "platonic" relationship, adding: "That's what I've been told over and over again by their entourage."
In the book, the reporter claimed the infamous "slap" caught between the pair while disembarking a plane last year was sparked by Mrs Macron's discovery of text messages between her husband and Ms Farahani.
Close associates of Mrs Macron told French paper Le Parisien: “Brigitte Macron categorically denied this account directly to the author on March 5, specifying that she never looks at her husband's mobile phone."
At the time of the "slap", Elysee officials insisted the pair were only "having a laugh".
But the exposé also revealed Mr Macron was highly dependent on his former headmistress.
At the start of his presidency back in 2017, he told Mrs Macron's Chief of Staff: "Brigitte has to be happy.
The book exposed the inner-workings of one of Europe's most influential political pairs
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"If she is bored, if she feels useless, if in the evening when I come home, she tells me she is unhappy, I will not last. And I will fail this five-year term."
One ex-special adviser told Mr Tardif: "She has A LOT of influence.
"She is the only one who can make him change his mind."
But his alleged reliance on his wife even extends to being within her vicinity.
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Mr Macron is said to have run through 17 drafts of an op-ed - before ditching it altogether
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"If he can’t spot her, he panics," a former palace adviser told the author. "'Brigitte, Brigitte…' Then he sees her. And calms down."
Meanwhile, another close friend claimed Mrs Macron had "psychological ascendancy" over her former student.
The book also exposes just how far Mrs Macron's reach has extended through her husband's career.
As recently as 2025, the author asserted that the French First Lady blocked a referendum announcement over concerns it could spiral into a vote of no confidence in the President.
Mr Macron has also become subjected to becoming the butt of jokes from political advisers after he drafted 17 versions of an op-ed.
The author says: "He is afflicted by the syndrome of the good pupil.
"He needs to know everything, understand everything, feel everything, before he can pronounce. Otherwise, he stays silent."
After the President decided to ditch the article altogether, aides have been said to crow: "Where's that op-ed, then?"
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