PARIS:  Emmanuel Macron, the independent centrist candidate who is favourite to win the French presidential election, has knocked down rumours he has a gay relationship outside his marriage since 2007 to Brigitte Trogneux.

In comments made on Monday evening and tweeted by his spokeswoman, Macron brushed off the talk of a relationship with radio journalist Mathieu Gallet, head of broadcaster Radio France, which has circulated on and off for years and was recently picked up in Russian media.

"If you're told I lead a double life with Mr Gallet it's because my hologram has escaped," Macron said at a gathering of his backers. The comment was an apparent lighthearted reference to the hologram presentation one of his rivals for the presidency, Jean-Luc Melenchon, at a rally last weekend.

The spokeswoman described Macron's comments as "a clear denial of the rumours about his private life."