Liliane Bettencourt's "golden dildo" - the mystery explained

Yes it's another day in the life of the so-called "Bettencourt affair".

Not the one that has been keeping headlines writers in France busy over the summer with its claims and counterclaims of (amongst other things) tax evasion, political skulduggery, and an inheritance dispute with the country's richest women, Liliane Bettencourt at the heart of matters.

But the apparently more intriguing question as to why the 87-year-old had what appeared to be a "golden dildo" in the study of her home in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

For those of you who might have missed it, the said "phallus" can be seen in a photograph taken of Madame Bettencourt which accompanies an interview with her for this month's issue of the magazine, Capital.

The heiress to L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company, and the principal shareholder is captured happily posing for the camera.

Everything seemed as it should be except for the presence of what many took to be a "golden dildo" nonchalantly sitting next to an "I love you" mug on the desk, a feature which quickly became an Internet buzz as the inevitable question was raised as to what it was doing there.



Happily though the "mystery" has been resolved, thanks to the magazine itself, which has responded to the "intense interest" by publishing an explanation on its website.

There were no shenanigans involved, Photoshop was not used and the sculpture really exists and was to be found exactly where it appeared in the shot.

It was, says the magazine which quotes an unnamed former employee as its source, "A present given to Liliane Bettencourt's late husband, André, by a friend and intended as a humorous reference to the couple's 'vigour' in spite of their age."

According to Capital, Madame Bettencourt never actually touched the souvenirs of her late husband but instead "instructed staff to store the item in a cupboard whenever visitors were around."

Somehow on the day of the shoot forgot to do so; in other words an innocent oversight.

So there you have it, the origin of the rather suggestive "statuette" explained, any allusions to what its purpose might otherwise have been, dispelled and the world can now go back to the real drama of the affair which has, in the words of a BBC report, "wafted a whiff of scandal over the government of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy."

Thank goodness for that!

Liliane Bettencourt and the "golden dildo"

The so-called "Bettencourt affair" has been taking up more than its fair share of column inches and airtime both in France and abroad over the summer.

It's a complicated case by any stretch of the imagination, involving an inheritance dispute between the daughter of France's richest woman and her mother, political intrigue, accusations of corruption, claims of tax evasion - in fact you name it, and it has probably appeared in the headlines at some point over the past couple of months.

Now though, if it were possible, there's a twist in the tale.

It might not have very much to do with any of the above, but it has certainly caught the imagination of many, has brought a somewhat "lighter" touch to the proceedings and has created that all-too-frequently seen Internet buzz.

At the heart of the so-called "affair" of course has been Liliane Bettencourt, France's richest woman and the principal shareholder of L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company.

Recently the 87-year-old posed for a photograph to accompany an interview with her in an issue of the magazine Capital.



The shot was taken at one of her homes, in the swanky Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

The setting is all very "proper" and entirely appropriate it would appear, as Yann Barthes, the presenter of Le Petit Journal, told viewers on Tuesday.

It's a segment of the daily evening magazine Le Grand Journal on Canal + and takes a somewhat irreverent look at what's making the news.

As Barthes explained, at first glance everything appears to be 'normal' in the photograph.

Madame Bettencourt is to be seen standing in front of bookshelves - "a totally normal setting," said Barthes.

"A lamp on the table - normal," he continued.

"And next to the lamp, a mug with the inscription 'I love you' - once again normal."

But then as Barthes and many others have noticed, sitting there next to the mug and clearly visible in the picture is....what can surely only be described in polite terms as a giant golden dildo.

Photoshop or a work of art?

Cybernauts are divided but the Net is a-buzz and it's surely yet another "affair" to be followed.


La bite/gode en or de Mme Bettencourt
envoyé par sebyrollins. - Regardez plus de vidéos comiques.

Laurent Fignon - the death of a sporting legend

France mourns the death of a sporting hero, Laurent Fignon.

Laurent Fignon, Tour de France, 1993 (from Wikipedia, author Eric Houdas)

Take a look at any of the French newspapers this morning and there's one story that stands out; the death on Tuesday of a cycling legend in France, Laurent Fignon.

The two-time winner of the Tour de France died at the age of 50 after a battle with cancer.

Tributes quickly poured in from cyclists, past and present, the world of sport, politics and television on the news of his death.

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, described Fignon as "an extraordinary and exceptional champion who had left an indelible mark on the history of the Tour de France."

The director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, described him as one of the "great figures of French cycling", a man who had been for the past 30 years "outspoken" and "chivalrous".

To gain a measure of just how important Fignon was to the sport and the esteem in which he was held in France, you have to wind the clock back a couple of decades when he twice won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984.

Five years later he lost out by the smallest of margins finishing second behind American Greg LeMond after the two men put had put on what has been described as "arguably one of the most thrilling battles in the history of the Tour".

The gap between the two men at the end of a gruelling three weeks was just eight seconds - the closest finish there has ever been to the Tour.

"Fignon was one the greater champions who was recognised more for his loss in the (1989) race than his first two victories," LeMond told France 24.

"When he lost the Tour de France in 1989 it was one of the few where I felt we both won."

He retired from competitive riding in 1993 and in his autobiography published last year admitted that he had taken drugs during his career, but not the performance-enhancing EPOs of the 1990s which allowed mediocre cyclists to compete at a level well above their natural talent.

Among Fignon's 76 career victories were two Milan-San Remo races and the Giro d'Italia in 1989.

Last year Fignon announced that he had been diagnosed with advanced cancer of the digestive system and was undergoing treatment.

But he continued as a consultant for both national public television, France 2, and the commercial radio station, Europe 1, for this year's race even though at times his voice appeared to be failing him.

Laurent Fignon, August 12, 1960 - August 31, 2010.