Trierweiler embraces goodwill ambassador role in India

After losing her title as France’s first lady, Valerie Trierweiler has begun forging a new role as a goodwill ambassador, with her glamour and media savvy guaranteeing her maximum publicity on a charity trip to India.

Just hours after François Hollande announced the couple were separating, Trierweiler boarded a plane in Paris for a two- day visit to Mumbai that saw her chat with sick children in hospital and see how some of India’s poorest people eke out a living in an overcrowded slum.

While polls showed the 48-year-old was the most unpopular first lady in recent French history, her work on behalf of the charity Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger) has generated some welcome front-page publicity both for herself and her organisation.