France has seen many interesting presidents. The greatest would have to be Charles de Gaulle, who is consistently ranked at the top of most lists. His brand of politics is still practised today, and referred to as 'Gaullism'. In 1981 another interesting character was elected. François Mitterrand would go on to be president for 14 years, and is sometimes regarded as 'the last of the greats'. He played a large part in pushing France towards the socialist state it is today, increasing funding towards education, healthcare, pensions, childcare, and immigration. However, behind his confident political prowess Mitterrand was hiding some jarring secrets. An adulterer, Mitterrand regularly pursued extramarital affairs, and fathered two children to two different women (a French historian and Swedish journalist, both decades younger), although there may well have been other mistresses. Mitterrand was also diagnosed with cancer in 1981. He went to great lengths to hide these facts: falsifying medical records, wiretapping journalists he didn't trust, and threatening anyone he felt could turn on him. He managed to keep one child - a son - a secret until after his death, while his illegitimate daughter was unknown to the public for over a decade. The daughter's name is Mazarine, allegedly alluding to the street in central Paris where she was conceived.
Bonus:
The French seem to have a talent for electing womanisers. In addition to Mitterrand's trysts, current president Emmanual Macron is married to a woman 24 years his senior whom he courted at 15. François Hollande, his predecessor, has had multiple partners, and is currently dating an actress 20 years his junior. Before him there was Nicolas Sarkozy, who is obsessed by his image, and on his third marriage to a young model. Even in wartime, president Philippe Pétain had to be tracked down by hotel staff who knew which mistress he would be with on a given night. It would seem the position requires a certain je ne sais quoi...
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