The French papers are full of speculation about the President’s health this morning after he was hospitalised yesterday following a supposed ‘nerve attack’. Le Parisien interviewed cardiologist Pierre Souvet who says, “A collapse is never harmless.” Souvet explains that the nerve attack suffered by Sarkozy could be down to a fall in his blood pressure due to his heavy schedule but it could also be due to a more serious coronary problem.

Le Parisien also focuses on other foreign leaders and their hospitalisations. In 2002 George Bush famously collapsed after choking on a pretzel and even conferred his powers onto Dick Cheney for a few hours. Bush, at 55, was the same age then as Sarkozy is now. In 2006, Silvio Berlusconi had a minor heart attack in public at an electoral meeting in Tuscany. He passed out and a little while later came to and said, “I’m fine now!” He was hospitalised overnight. Since then, he has suffered other minor incidents.

A cartoon in Le Parisien shows the new Culture Minister, Frederic Mitterand - famous for his longwinded, lyrical speeches - paying homage to the ill President whose “destiny has been interrupted”. “Frederic, I’m fine!” replies an unappreciative Nicolas Sarkozy. Meanwhile the left-leaning news website Rue89 has a cartoon showing the President passing out upon hearing that Tony Blair will be President of Europe…

The regional papers are almost all leading with the story too. The editorial of La Charente Libre goes back over the health of French Presidents. Since George Pompidou died in office having kept his ill-health under wraps, all subsequent French Presidents have promised transparency… In reality, that has varied quite a lot. Mitterand’s doctor revealed in a book that the Socialist President was not fit to serve towards the end of his mandate.

The press is also full of coverage of Alberto Contador’s victory in the Tour de France. “Fort comme la vie,” reads the headline of an article in the sports paper l’Equipe. It recounts how the Spaniard almost died in 2004 of an aneurysm while cycling. First aid on the scene saved his life. He then went through three hours of brain surgery and still bears 70 stitch marks on his head. It took him three months before he could walk again and 7 months before he could get back on his bike.