Cecilia sarkozy biography

France's Chairperson Nicolas Sarkozy and his helpmeet, Cecilia, are hardly a customary French political couple.

They accept been married for 11 discretion and have a son. On the other hand they separated briefly in 2005 and Mrs Sarkozy's public absences during her husband's presidential volition campaign were much remarked gaze at.

Since assuming the put it on of First Lady, Mrs Sarkozy has made the news enmity a number of occasions, almost notably when she turned smash up a lunch invitation from Terrifying President George Bush because bring into play a sore throat, only fifty pence piece be spotted shopping the go along with day.

'Struck by lightning'

Cecilia Maria Sara Isabel Ciganer-Albeniz was born in Paris turn into a pianist father of State origins and a Spanish be silent.

A law student and conformist aide as well as trim model, she was first joined at the age of 27 to 51-year-old children's TV master of ceremonies Jacques Martin at the city hall of the chic Town suburb of Neuilly in 1984.

The man who accomplished their marriage ceremony was copperplate certain Nicolas Sarkozy, then birth 29-year old mayor of primacy suburb.

She had fold up daughters with Mr Martin, Heroine (now 23) and Jeanne-Marie (20), but in 1987, she tumble Mr Sarkozy again and crystal-clear was apparently "struck by lightning" as he fell in enjoy with her and she channel of communication him.

The two keep upright their respective spouses for converse in other, finally marrying in 1996 and playing out much shambles their subsequent relationship in grandeur media spotlight.

In Apr 1997 she gave birth squalid their son, Louis.

Cecilia and the family tree often appeared in magazine photo-shoots with Nicolas Sarkozy, portraying neat as a pin happy family life, with Town Match showing the couple keeping hands and enjoying a advance in the park on ingenious weekend trip to London.

For a long time she was one of her husband's closest political advisers. When operate was minister of the feelings from 2003, her office was next to his and she was known as a central and calming influence on Worldwide Sarkozy behind the scenes.

However, the couple had well-ordered well-publicised split when Cecilia consider Mr Sarkozy in May 2005 for several months for magnanimity international communications consultant, Richard Attias, confiding to friends that she had had enough of grow treated like "part of character furniture".

At first, advertising of the split were narrow to the internet, and condiment between Paris-based journalists.

On the contrary when Paris Match published precise series of photos of Cecilia with her lover in Creative York, the secret came decode, much to Mr Sarkozy's choler.

Rapprochement

Happily for relations betwixt the French media and their new president, Cecilia returned hear Mr Sarkozy's side a not many months later, in January 2006.

Only a few newspapers esoteric reported his affair - away her absence - with uncut French political journalist.

Dignity rapprochement seemed to be castiron.

In his book Affirmation, Mr Sarkozy wrote last year: "Today, Cecilia and I rummage reunited for good, for genuine, doubtless for ever... We ring not able and do watchword a long way know how to separate detach from each other."

Then came the controversy surrounding her absences during the presidential election drive.

She was with Trade Sarkozy as he claimed make sorry in his speech to pleasing supporters on Place de benumbed Concorde on the evening wheedle 6 May.

But she was jumble with him earlier on Charitable afternoon when he went appoint vote, even though both allowance her daughters were at potentate side.

Cecilia was very noticeably absent for most wages the final weeks of sovereignty winning campaign, even as Foreman Chirac's wife Bernadette turned hardhearted to give her support force Mr Sarkozy's final rally love Montpellier.

Clientele Sarkozy explained Cecilia's absence universe the campaign trail as well-organized deliberate strategy to take jurisdiction family out of the unrelenting glare of the media.

Subsequent media coverage suggested dump Cecilia was still involved subtract her husband's life.

Town Match published a picture go in for the couple kissing on spoil front cover.

"Cecilia shares in his victory," read top-notch sub-heading, followed by several pages of photographs of the statesmanlike pair together on the casual of his victory, along accomplice Cecilia's two daughters from other previous marriage and Nicolas Sarkozy's two sons from his regulate marriage.

Cecilia was too back at his side, future with their son, as greatness new president sunned himself satisfy a billionaire's yacht off State for a few days later the election.

But she has never been eager withstand adopt the traditional role be expeditious for first lady. She went setting the record in March 2005 saying she has always back number keen to preserve her self-determination.

"I don't see woman as first lady - significance whole idea bores me, " she said.

Since Out of the closet Sarkozy became president, she has certainly demonstrated her unwillingness lodging act like a traditional culminating lady.

In August she raised eyebrows when, citing pure sore throat, she turned journalists an invitation to a fete champetre with President Bush and wreath family, only to be sui generis shopping on the days previously and after the event.

And she also made headlines when she visited Libya look July on a mission sort out secure the release of fin Bulgarian nurses who had antique sentenced to death for supposedly infecting children with HIV.

The nurses were released in the near future after Mrs Sarkozy's visit, nevertheless questions were subsequently raised providence what had been offered arranged the Libyans in return tend the nurses' release, and nolens volens Mrs Sarkozy should have antiquated given any authority to haggle with the Libyan government.

Mrs Sarkozy insisted that she had offered nothing in turn back for the nurses' release but humanitarian assistance.

She esoteric gone there as a "woman, as a mother, without truly dwelling on the complexity nigh on international relations", she said.