Inside Nicolas Sarkozy's Marriage To Model Carla Bruni

Carla Bruni, the wife of former conservative French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a bit of an enigma. According to The Sun, the singer and former model is rumored to have been involved with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, and even Donald Trump. However, Bruni has disputed ever being with Trump, calling the rumor a lie (via People).

Like Donald Trump, Sarkozy's time in office was surrounded by controversy and allegations of wrongdoing. On Monday, March 1, Sarkozy was convicted by a French court and sentenced to three years in prison (though he'll only be serving one year) after being found guilty of corruption (via CNN).

While she is married to a right-wing politician, Bruni's politics aren't as clear. She photoshops pictures of Bernie Sanders onto her album covers and posts them on Instagram. And, according to Reuters, she votes Socialist. Make of that what you will.

Also, there's this: In 2007, a year before marrying Sarkozy, Carla Bruni said, "Monogamy bores me terribly ... I'm monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy and polyandry" (via The Guardian). Then, after the two had married, Bruni told the French press that if she caught Sarkozy cheating, "I could do extreme gestures, like cut his throat or his ears when he's asleep for example." Make of that what you will.

To the surprise of the French citizenry, Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni got married in February 2008 (via Reuters). Sarkozy was still president at the time. He'd divorced his second wife just months earlier. It was a rushed, 20-minute civil wedding, reported The New York Times, with just 20 people in attendance. 

Despite the quickie ceremony, the two appeared to have been very much in love. "I was seduced by his physique and his intelligence," Bruni said (via The Guardian). "He has five or six brains that are remarkably irrigated." 

The couple met at a dinner party in late 2007. Sarkozy fell immediately. "Carla, do you dare kiss me on the mouth, right now, in front of everyone?" he reportedly whispered in her ear (via The Sydney Morning Herald). Nicolas drove her home. Carla gave him her phone number. During their meet-cute, they even negotiated children (they now have a daughter together). By Christmas, per The New York Times, the two had given each other "$125,000 worth of presents." Part of that was jewelry. On Christmas Day, 2007, Sarkozy proposed to Bruni with an engagement ring worth around $14,000 (via Mirror).

Yes, Carla Bruni was attracted to Nicolas Sarkozy's title. "Power was an aphrodisiac," she told Friday magazine. But the two tied the knot because the timing was right. "Twenty years ago, he would have needed a woman who was more devoted to him. And I would never have taken a man who has such a strong, dominating temper. But we met when we were strong enough for each other," she reflected.

Being famous may have helped the former supermodel step into her role as first lady, but she's almost certainly glad that those days are over. Bruni described her 2008 to 2012 stint in the political spotlight as terrifying. "I was scared all the time. I was scared all the time for my husband. I was scared for myself," she told French magazine Voici (via Daily Mail). "I felt I was a target." When she was not battling anxiety, Bruni was bored. After marrying, she stopped performing her music and became a housewife. As she admitted to The Guardian in 2013, "I get slightly depressed when I stay only with the children [she also has a son from a previous relationship]. I mean, don't you? Like, just a little bit depressed."

The dynamic in Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy's marriage has certainly changed now. It's Sarkozy who, per CNN, will be staying at home. A judge has given him the option of completing his sentence under house arrest. Bruni, meanwhile, has just come out with a new album (via France 24).