Nicolas Sarkozy was very upset about his break up with Cécilia. He appeared to be becoming ever more manic and his approval ratings were steadily sinking. In November 2008 he began dating Carla Bruni, a celebrity super model who bore a striking resemblance to Cécilia when she was younger, in the most high profile manner, publicly canoodling in Egypt among the pyramids, walks on the beach, trips to EuroDisney. The French media were agog in a frenzy of celebrity style gossip. Sarkozy's approval ratings sank further. The French didn't mind that he was finding some solace, but they wanted him to do it discreetly, and above all they wanted him to concentrate on affairs of state instead of his love-life.

Carla Bruni was even more exotic than Cécilia. Born to an extremely wealthy Italian family, they moved to France in the 1970s to protect themselves from a wave of kidnappings targetted at the rich in Italy. She didn't need to work, but began to model, becoming one of the 1980s supermodels in the process, strutting the cat-walk for Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. Because of her celebrity lifestyle, a boatload of gossip and rumours has accumulated about her over the years. She had a reputation as a man-eater, breaking up Jerry Hall's relationship with Mick Jagger. It was claimed that she once slept with both a father and son at the same time (and bore the son's child), but she flatly denies the relationship with the older man and says it was put about by the spouse of the son (whose marriage she broke up). In 2002 she reinvented herself as a folk-singer and was unexpectedly successful.

Just three months after they met, Carla and Nicolas tied the knot in February 2008 in a ceremony at the Élysée Palace. It was rumoured that Nicolas had a crisis before the wedding, sending a text message to Cécilia saying 'If you come back, I'll cancel everything.' (Sarko initially filed libel charges at the magazine that broke the story, and then dropped the legal action).

The 40-year-old Carla Bruni Sarkozy proved to be an unexpected success at being First Lady. For a start, Sarkozy appeared to calm down, his humiliation at being dumped by Cécilia lessened by his marriage to a beautiful celebrity model like Carla. He settled down to work at last.

Her education and ability to speak several languages (unlike Sarko who can only speak French), and always knowing the right clothes to wear, stood her in good stead when making her state visit to Britain with Sarkozy (even though nude photos of her went on auction at Sotherbys during the visit). She has continued to produce songs with potentially embarrassing lyrics such as "You need to understand, you are my lord, you are my love, you are my orgy." Gossip about her and Sarko has now attained global proportions thanks to the circumstances of the alliance and Carla's model good looks. But the French don't seem to mind in the least, because she does the important things right, such as displaying French couture to perfection. In face-offs against the American First Lady, Michelle Obama, these things are important.

At the time of their wedding, people gave it six months, but it looks for the moment as though it might endure at least as long as Sarkozy is President. Carla clearly loves her job of First Lady, and France rather loves her too (she remains more popular than the President). She is France's first Celebrity First lady.

P.S. Carla Bruni is a socialist, unlike the right-wing Sarko, and at the time of the French election (before she met him), supported Sarkozy's rival for the presidency, Ségolène Royal. That means two of his three wives didn't vote for him. Thank goodness for the faithful Marie-Dominique!