What did the Presidents of the Republic look like when they were young?
Danielle Mitterrand, resistance fighter and human rights defender, shared her life alongside François Mitterrand for more than five decades. But behind this union was a well-kept secret: her passionate affair with Jean Balenci, her lover.
Since 1965, Danielle and François Mitterrand formed an emblematic couple in French political life. However, their marriage was not without its challenges, notably with François Mitterrand's affair with Anne Pingeot, who gave birth to Mazarine in 1974.Or even with the singer Dalida… Faithful to their pact of silence, Danielle never spoke of this betrayal, thus preserving the couple's public image. However, another secret was discreetly forming in their home: the relationship between Danielle and Jean Balenci.
Her lover Jean Balenci lived under the same roof
Jean Balenci, a gymnastics teacher met the Mitterrands in the 1960s in Hossegor, a seaside resort where the couple liked to stay. Attracted by his charm and kindness, Danielle began a discreet affair with him. Unlike François, Jean Balenci brought a lightness and a complicity which soothed the latter, hurt by her husband's double life with Anne Pingeot and many others.
“In the 1960s, family and loved ones saw the emergence a nice brown one, not very big but athletic, broad shoulders, flat stomach, bulging muscles, friendly smile. He is a gymnastics teacher, organizing member of CLAN, the Alpine and Nautical Leisure Club. In winter, he is a ski instructor.recounted Robert Schneider in his book First Ladiespublished in 2014.
Also read : Dalida: her brother confirms the singer's affair with François Mitterrand
Jean Balenci wasn't just Danielle's lover; it also occupied a special place in the daily life of the Mitterrands. Located in Latche, the residence summer of the Mitterrands in the Landes, he became the estate manager, managing the vast grounds and actively participating in family life. Paradoxically, while François Mitterrand had acquired Latche to shelter his relationship with Anne Pingeot, it was Jean who lived there discreetly with Danielle.
Jean Balenci assumed multiple roles within the family: gym teacher, driver, and even bodyguard. His presence became essential, to the point of regularly accompanying the couple's sons, Jean-Christophe and Gilbert, on their ski outings. In addition, Jean occupied a maid's room above the Mitterrands' Paris apartment on rue de Bièvre, barely larger than a boat cabin.
“On the first floor, Danielle had her own bedroom, which she had imagined with a completely open bathroom. Not far away was his partner's room, Jean Balenci, 'no bigger than a boat cabin', as another occupant later complained”, had told Philip Short in the book François Mitterrand. Portrait of an ambiguous person.
Also read : “I was always afraid”: Mazarine, the daughter of François Mitterrand, confides in her traumatic childhood
François Mitterrand ended his wife Danielle's affair
But the election of François Mitterrand as President of the Republic in May 1981 marked a turning point in this adulterous relationship. Aware of the risks of media scandal, the new head of state asked his wife Danielle to end their affair with Jean Balenci. The latter, understanding the need to preserve the couple's discretion, moved away from Parisian life and Latche. He settled in Dax, where he started a family, but this separation left Danielle Mitterrand deeply marked. Despite the end of their relationship, François Mitterrand never completely disowned Jean Balenci. He allowed him to benefit from the presidential hunting grounds and offered him tickets to the French team's rugby matches.
This article was written using artificial intelligence, then corrected, proofread and improved by our journalists.
