Nicolas Sarkozy's wife to return to singing

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is to start singing live again and will release a new album of songs in the autumn, her promoter confirmed yesterday. There are even rumours of France's outgoing first lady starring in a new biopic (biographical film) about her family history.

News of the 44-year-old's desire to revive her showbusiness career came as her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy, was pictured at his first public engagement since losing the French presidential election.

The 57-year-old announced his retirement from politics after Sunday's election defeat, which made him the first French head of state to be rejected after just one term for 31 years.

In the event, the vote was closer than many had predicted, and Sarkozy has insisted his loss was not humiliating.

Despite claiming he "loves life too much to be bitter", however, he appeared visibly tense yesterday while accompanying Francois Hollande to a ceremony marking the 67th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The former rivals laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Despite winning their bitter contest, Hollande looked almost as strained as the outgoing president.

Sarkozy is facing an uncertain future — his poor English means he is unlikely to be able to make money on the lucrative US lecture circuit, and he has ruled out any return to politics.

Veronique Rampazza, spokeswoman for Sarkozy's wife, said: "Carla did not put her career on hold during Nicolas Sarkozy's five years in office. She continues to compose.

"What she gave up for practical reasons was her public concerts, which she is now able to start again."

Ms Bruni-Sarkozy has a recording studio in her Paris townhouse and will release her new album in time for Christmas.

She is hoping to repeat the success of "Quelqu'un m'a dit" (Somebody Told Me), which came out 10 years ago, and sold around two million copies, mostly in France.

While critics praised the charming, folksy effort, Ms Bruni-Sarkozy's later albums, "No Promises" and "Comme si de rien n'était" (As If Nothing Had Happened), were less well received. After her marriage to Sarkozy in 2008 following a whirlwind romance of just 80 days, France's first lady was never out of the limelight. There were cover photo shoots for glossy magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue — including a controversial one on the roof of the Elysee Palace — and she took a role in the Woody Allen film "Midnight in Paris".

Ms Bruni-Sarkozy's actress sister, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, is producing a movie about the history of their multi-millionaire family, and the outgoing first lady may play herself.

In an interview in 2008, Sarkozy said he would "start to make money" when he quit frontline politics.

Comments