Woody Allen denies Carla Bruni rumours

Legendary filmmaker Woody Allen has said he had no problems filming with French first lady Carla Bruni, despite reports to the contrary.

The director has hit back at gossip suggesting the President's wife needed 32 takes to film a simple scene, that her husband was unimpressed with her performance on set, and that she was ultimately replaced by a lookalike.

At the Toronto Film Festival, promoting his new film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, Allen said: "She was a delight to work with, and why there are all these crazy rumours about her I don't know. Either press people have it in for the Sarkozys, or they want to sell newspapers, but they're completely untrue, fabricated rumours, not even based on a germ of truth."

Woody also insisted Bruni's scenes will be in the final movie. Midnight In Paris was shot in France earlier this year, and the President did visit the set to see his wife perform.

"He came, we gave him earphones, he heard her act, he said 'she's wonderful, my wife is natural, she's a wonderful actress'. He was a delight."