French President Francois Hollande will be under pressure to speak on Tuesday (January 14) on allegations by a French celebrity magazine that he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.

Hollande will face the media in a traditional New Year news conference that had been scheduled well before the reports of the affair broke.

The weekly French tabloid, criticised in 2012 for publishing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, printed seven pages of photos of comings and goings outside a Paris apartment block to support its allegation.

French first lady Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital last Sunday following the reports of an affair.

A poll by Ifop showed that 84 percent of the public had not changed their opinion about Hollande following news of the affair and that 77 percent considered it "a private affair that only concerns Francois Hollande".

Hollande and Trierweiler, a journalist for celebrity magazine Paris Match, are not married but have been in a long-term relationship for several years.

Hollande, who came to power in May 2012, is expected to announce new measures to boost the French economy, including lower charges for companies, cuts in public spending and a simplification of business regulation.

Presented by Adam Justice

France