Sarkozy's love handles disparaître

The French magazine Paris Match touched up a photograph of President Nicolas Sarkozy on his US holiday, making his figure more svelte.

Leading news weekly L'Express printed before and after shots, showing a distinct tightening of the area it called poignees d'amour (love handles).

L'Express quotes Paris Match as saying the president's seating position made the bulge look more prominent.

Paris Match said it had tried adjusting the lighting on the picture.

"The correction was exaggerated during the printing process," the magazine told L'Express.

In the photograph the president is shown, bare to the waist, canoeing with his son.

L'Express said Paris Match had "removed with the wave of a magic wand the love handles that were slightly weighing down the figure of Nicolas Sarkozy".

When contacted by the BBC, Paris Match declined to make any further comment.