The actress reported to be having an affair with President Francois Hollande has been denied a coveted role at a prestigious cultural institution France's Culture Ministry.

A ministry official said Julie Gayet was nominated for the jury at the Villa Medicis, a French state-owned institution in Rome, Italy.

Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti rejected the nomination today, the official said, without giving a reason.

The decision came a day after Mr Hollande held a news conference in which he admitted to problems in his love life but refused to comment on the alleged affair.

Hollande's first lady, journalist Valerie Trierweiler, has been in hospital since Friday, when the tabloid magazine Closer published photos it said proved Mr Hollande's liaison with Ms Gayet.

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