François Hollande breaks silence on Twitter rift François Hollande at a Bastille Day parade in Paris. Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA The French president, François Hollande, has broken his silence on a family rift that threatened to damage his image in the first months of his presidency by assuring French viewers that it will not happen again. Last month his partner, Valérie Trierweiler, tweeted her support for the opponent of Ségolène Royale, his former partner and the mother of his four children, during legislative elections. Royale failed to win a seat. Trierweiller, a journalist, was seen as playing out a private feud in the public arena. Hollande said in his Bastille Day broadcast: "I am in favour of a clear distinction between professional and private life. Private disputes must be resolved privately. According to behind-the-scenes reports in the media, both Hollande and his children were furious, but all sides moved into a damage control operation and kept the feud under wraps. Trierweiler has since kept a low profile. She was notably absent when Hollande visited the Queen this week in London. The Twitter account of Hollande's eldest son, Thomas, reads discreetly: "I don't count on tweeting for the moment." A low profile was maintained until this week when the 27-year-old Thomas broke his silence, speaking out against his father's companion's actions to the news weekly Le Point, published on Wednesday. I knew that something could come from [Trierweiler] one day, but not such a big knock. It's mindblowing," he was quoted as saying. It upset me for my father. He really hates it when his private life is spoken about," he said. Then he added what many were already thinking: "It destroyed the 'normal' image that he had built up." The Elysée tried to diffuse the comments, saying on Friday that they were made during a "personal interview." Thomas Hollande has said some comments were taken out of context. Despite those efforts to water down the remarks, "tweetgate" still dominates French media.