Trierweiler puts split behind her on India charity visit

France 24

Valérie Trierweiler, right, the ex-first lady of French President Francois Hollande, speaks to a woman during her visit to Sion government hospital in Mumbai, India, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014. AP Photo

Valérie Trierweiler, France’s former first lady, met impoverished children in India on Monday as she insisted she wasn’t “wasting public money”. But her charity visit was overshadowed by her recent separation from President François Hollande.

Trierweiler, a journalist, did not address her former partner's alleged affair directly during a press conference in Mumbai with the humanitarian aid group Action Against Hunger, but was forced to respond to questions about her future without Hollande.

Asked about her accomplishments during her short tenure as first lady, she said: “I am not sure whether that’s my job or yours. I was there for 19 months and I think I met a lot of new people, and even discovered part of myself that I didn’t know before. The experience left a mark on me.”

“In any case, don’t worry about me,” she added.

Read more on France24