Valerie Trierweiler says ‘don’t worry about me’ in first public appearance after separation from Hollande

Shorn of her status as the first lady, Valerie Trierweiler, former partner of French President Francois Hollande, made her first public appearance here today, saying she was feeling "happy" but remained largely evasive about her private life. She appeared to briefly flare up when asked about her future and said, "Don't worry about me." (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

Trierweiler, who went ahead with her India visit despite the weekend announcement of the separation by Hollande, said fight against hunger and malnutrition was a cause "close to my heart" and did not directly answer questions about the issue. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

"I have time, there are some years to come. I will see bit by bit. For now I am not foreseeing anything. In any case, don't worry about me," Trierweiler, 48, told a reporter at a media conference for the launch of charity Fight Hunger Foundation. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

"I don't know if it's for me to judge, or for you. I was there for 19 months," Trierweiler, a career journalist and Hollande's companion of eight years, said about her time as the first lady in her brief public comments since the scandal broke out earlier this month following revelations of the President's affair with actress Julie Gayet, 41. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

A French magazine had published news and photos of Hollande visiting the actress for a secret tryst on a scooter. A distraught Trierweiler was hospitalised for a week after the scandal became public and was later resting at a presidential retreat before embarking on her visit to India. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

"I was able to discover people who I hadn't known. I understood that you can be useful, and in being useful to others you can be useful to yourself," she said, speaking in French. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

French First Lady Valerie Trierweiler made her first public appearance since it emerged President Francois Hollande was cheating on her with an actress, with a trip to Mumbai on Monday. (AP)

Trierweiler, who landed in Mumbai early on Monday, visited the Nutrition Rehabilitation and Research Center during her visit to Dharavi slum in Mumbai. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

Seen here tasting the malnutrition formula at Nutrition Rehabilitation and Research Center at Dharavi slum, Trierweiler was hospitalised for a week after news broke of Hollande’s affair with 41-year-old French actress Julie Gayet, and has since been holed up in a presidential retreat outside Paris. (IE Photo: Amit Chakravarty)

She visited the Sion government hospital during the charity trip, which comes a day after her splitting up with Hollande. (IE Photo: Pradip Das)

She was also at the French relief organisation Action Against Hunger. (IE Photo: Pradip Das)

Trierweiler, who left hospital last Saturday where she was treated for a bout of “tiredness” brought on by the scandal, had been invited in her official capacity.The charity is paying for the trip, which is financed mostly by private Indian partners. (AP)