The White House is denying that first lady Michelle Obama ever described her White House life as "hell."

Mrs. Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, responded Thursday to a purported comment attributed to Mrs. Obama in a forthcoming book, "Carla and the Ambitious," about French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The book says Bruni-Sarkozy recalled that during a recent White House visit with her husband, the French president, she asked Mrs. Obama about her new role. According to the book, Mrs. Obama replied: "It's hell. I can't stand it."

The French Embassy in Washington also released a statement denying that Mrs. Obama ever said those words. The Embassy says Bruni-Sarkozy "distances herself completely" from the book, which is due out Friday.