Brigitte Macron in 'deep anxiety' following cyberbullying over false claims she’s a man, daughter tells court

The daughter of French first lady Brigitte Macron has revealed that the false claims that her mother was born a man have had a deep impact on her. Tiphaine Auzière told a Paris court on Tuesday that her mother suffers from “deep anxiety” because of the gender episode, and is constantly worried about having to walk a certain way and her clothing choices because she knows her pictures can be “distorted” and weaponised online. The 41-year-old said the horrific allegations have also impacted her seven grandchildren also, who are also constantly bombarded with cruel words at school. “There isn’t a single week when she isn’t harassed, not one person in her personal or professional life fails to bring up these allegations,” Auzière said. "This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school, such as, 'Your grandmother is a man.' I don't know how to make it stop."

She was testifying at the trial of ten people who are accused of online harassment of the 72-year-old first lady for spreading "malicious comments" about her gender and sexuality. Auzière added that the trolling and cyberbullying have taken a toll on Brigitte Macron’s mental health, and medical assessments back it up. Notably, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July following false claims that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. Brigitte Macron also said that the terrible words have greatly impacted her and her family, especially her grandchildren, who were told their grandmother was a man.

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My mom has suffered hatred, Tiphaine Auzière told the court

Brigitte Macron's lawyer had asked Auzière to testify at the trial. She is her youngest of three children from her first marriage to André-Louis Auzière. "It was important for me to be here today to express the harm. I wanted to express what her life has been like since she suffered this hatred. There has been change and deterioration." Her daughter added how her mother's life had changed because of the rumours. “My mother always has to be careful about how she dresses and behaves in public because of this fake news. She knows that her image could be taken and distorted. She's constantly under attack. She can't ignore all the horrors being said about her.”

Auziere also said that her mother has read all the messages said about her, and if she misses the tweets, the Élysée Palace aides tell her about them. "She read them all. It hurt her enough. She doesn't want to see them again." Ten defendants, eight men and two women, are being tried in the case for harassing her online. They face up to two years in prison if convicted. Brigitte Macron has even been called a “paedophile” by trolls for the 25-year age gap between her and her husband Emmanuel Macron.