The teetotal President Sarkozy has explained his odd performance at a press conference that led many to believe that he must have had a drink too many at a meeting with President Putin of Russia. He was, he said, simply out of breath.

There have been more than 15 million viewings on the internet of the video clip of the Sarkozy appearance two weeks ago at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, after it first appeared on Belgian television.

Mr Sarkozy told reporters at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday that he came across the video only last Monday when he returned to the family home in Neuilly, and found his wife, Cécilia, and their children in fits of laughter over it.

His explanation of his curious state was that he was simply out of breath. “I was running late so I went up the stairs four steps at a time,” he said. “I didn’t have anything special to say so I asked if there were any questions. I do not touch a drop of alcohol. That’s no special merit – I just don’t like it.”

In the video, which was the talk of France last week, Mr Sarkozy appears to slur his speech and laughs and shrugs in a bizarre way as he asks reporters to question him.

Mr Sarkozy, though avowedly teetotal and a regular jogger, does enjoy cigars. He smoked one while he recounted his G8 session to invited reporters after announcing a Cabinet reshuffle. He said that the cigar felt good. He only smoked when he felt relaxed. “If I’m not relaxed it gives me a headache,” the President said.

The French political world and the media have concluded over the past week that Mr Sarkozy was merely out of breath and his usual euphoric self at the press conference.

Television and radio comedians are, however, still scoring laughs by imitating his G8 appearance.

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