It was love at first sight, says Sarkozy wife
The new first lady of France said today that her first meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy was love at first sight.
Former top model and singer Carla Bruni said that, despite the whirlwind romance, she expects the marriage to last a lifetime.
"I didn't hesitate after meeting him," Ms Bruni said in an interview. "Right away, I wanted to marry him."
Italian-born Ms Bruni and Mr Sarkozy were married on February 2 in a quiet ceremony at the presidential Elysee Palace.
The discretion surrounding the exchange of vows contrasted with the couple's public romance, which caught the attention of the world.
It was the first marriage for Ms Bruni, 40, and the third for Mr Sarkozy, 53. He married Ms Bruni less than four months after his divorce from Cecilia Sarkozy, a woman the French thought was irreplaceable to him.
Ms Bruni has a short answer for those who thought the marriage came too fast: "Wrong."
"Between Nicolas and me, it wasn't quick, it was immediate," news magazine L'Express quoted her as saying.
Ms Bruni has never made a secret of her relationships with the rich and famous, from Donald Trump to Mick Jagger.
Mr Sarkozy was different, she said.
"It seems that with him, nothing bad can happen... With him, an anxiousness that I've felt since childhood disappears," Ms Bruni said.
She said that she does not like the idea of divorce.
"So I am the first lady until the end of my husband's mandate and his wife until death."
Despite her freewheeling image, she said she would be a no-nonsense first lady of France.
"I don't yet know what I might do as first lady, but I know how I will do it: seriously."
