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At 5 feet 5 inches tall, the diminutive Nicolas Sarkozy is known as much for his height -- or lack of it -- as any of his accomplishments as French president.
So a new edition of glossy French magazine Paris Match provoked plenty of jokes when its front cover showed Sarkozy seemingly towering over his wife of 11 years, the 5-foot 9-inch former supermodel Carla Bruni, while she nuzzled his neck.
The image sparked several photoshopped pictures on Twitter mocking the French former first couple, with tweets featuring the likes of step-ladders and platform shoes, according to AFP.
EX-FRANCE PRESIDENT SARKOZY TO FACE TRIAL ON CHARGES OF CORRUPTION, INFLUENCE-PEDDLING
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy (L) and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in 2012 (AFP/Getty)
Such was the mockery, that Paris Match was forced to release a statement clarifying why Sarkozy appeared taller in the photoshoot, which had taken place in June on steps outside the couple’s home.
“Some people were surprised to see Nicolas Sarkozy taller than his wife Carla Bruni,” the magazine said. “In the image chosen for the cover, Nicolas Sarkozy was on the higher step than his wife.”
Sarkozy's height has been a sore subject for years.
When he was president, a Belgian TV report in 2009 claimed the employee of a French factory visited by Sarkozy said she was chosen to stand behind him because she was not taller than him, according to the BBC. The claims were dismissed by the Elysee as "completely absurd and grotesque." During a state visit to Britain in 2008, he was pictured wearing chunky heels, while his wife opted for flat black shoes, seemingly to reduce the contrast in height.
Since leaving office in 2012, Sarkozy has become embroiled in legal trouble, facing multiple corruption investigations.
Last month, he learned he will stand trial on charges of corruption and influence-peddling after the country’s highest court rejected his final appeal.
FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY SET FOR TRIAL OVER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS TIED TO 2012 CAMPAIGN
Sarkozy, his lawyer Thierry Herzog and former judge Gilbert Azibert face charges stemming from allegations that Sarkozy accepted illicit payments from L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
But there is speculation in France that the conservative politician may attempt a political comeback, especially after he released a new memoir, ‘Passions,’ last month, which documents his rise to power.
The timing of the book has been noted because it came just as his former party, Les Republicains, were humiliated in European elections, finishing fourth with just 8.5 percent of the vote. Former supporters of the party have since flocked to President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party as well as the far-Right.
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“The book is a political one, it does not announce my return,” Sarkozy, who has supposedly retired twice from politics, told magazine Le Point last month. “I neither want nor can get involved in a partisan debate. That would sew confusion and division. There is no need for that. It would be misplaced.”
Fox News' Frank Miles contributed to this report.
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