Sarkozy's punishing diet and fitness regime blamed for collapse as he tries to keep up with Carla

As president, he has to keep up with international affairs, domestic politics and the economic crisis. And then there's Carla.



So perhaps it's no surprise that friends of Nicolas Sarkozy say the gruelling fitness regime he started soon after his wedding to model Carla Bruni was a disaster waiting to happen.



The 54-year-old French president looked pale and a little shaken as he left the Val-de-Grace Military Hospital in Paris with his wife yesterday.



Checking out: Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni leaving hospital today

He had spent the night there having undergone a series of cardiovascular tests after falling ill while jogging.



Close friend and MP Patrick Balkany said: 'Recently the president has looked very honed. He looks more like a Tour de France rider.



'The president is going to have to take more care, work a little less hard and eat a little bit more.'

Mr Sarkozy started dieting within a few days of his wedding to 41-year-old Miss Bruni last year.



She introduced him to a fitness instructor who told him to lose 9lb and two trouser sizes --a change which many would consider unhealthy for a man who stands a mere 5ft5ins.



Out went Mr Sarkozy’s chocolate and cheese snacks, and he has also tried to cut out puddings.

Going home: The President waves as he gets into a car outside the hospital

The increasingly diminutive head of state staggered, appeared to faint, and then fell to the ground on Sunday while jogging in parkland surrounding the Palace of Versailles.

He may have pushed it too far in his bid to keep up with the glamorous Miss Bruni, 41, according to allies.



Since marrying Miss Bruni last year following a whirlwind romance of just 80 days, Mr Sarkozy has been desperately trying to appear as youthful and trendy as the former supermodel-turned-pop star.

Rest: Officials say Mr Sarkozy will take some time out to relax

Yesterday as he left hospital Mr Sarkozy insisted: 'I feel fine.' Miss Bruni, who was by his side throughout the scare, told medical staff: 'Thank you so much - you've been wonderful'.



An Elysee Palace spokesman confirmed 'intense physical exercise' was to blame for his collapse and said tests had not revealed any underlying heart problems.

Meanwhile the President’s increasingly frenetic workload has included accompanying Miss Bruni to the theatre and to concerts - events he seldom bothered with in the past.

Last weekend, he paid a lightning visit to New York to watch his wife perform at a charity gig celebrating Nelson Madela’s 91st birthday.



Doctors at Val de Grace conducted neurological, blood and cardiological tests as well as an electroencephalogram which tests the electrical activity of the brain.



Close advisers visited the President while he was in the hospital to keep him up to date on state business and he was kept in overnight.





Strict regime: Mr Sarkozy and his wife out jogging together in New York

The Elysee Palace has played down the President’s collapse, blaming it on a ‘vasovagal episode’ caused by the dilation of the body's blood vessels in response to stimulus from the vagal nerve - something which often happens during exercise.

It is the second time during his presidency that Mr Sarkozy has been rushed to hospital.

On Oct 21 2007 - the day after his divorce from second wife Cecilia - doctors at treated him for a high fever and a throat abscess.

The president underwent surgery to remove infected material, was given antibiotics through a catheter, and then discharged.

Economics minister Christine Lagarde was replacing the President at a signing ceremony at the Elysee Palace today.

A planned visit to the Mont St Michel Abbey in Normandy tomorrow has also been cancelled as he rests up.

However, he hopes to chair the last cabinet meeting before the summer holidays on Wednesday.



Mr Sarkozy is due to leave for a long holiday on the Riviera during the French parliamentary summer break.



When he returns he is expected to cut down his exercise regime.



