Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi, known as Carla Bruni, was born in December 1967. She is the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and France’s First Lady. Bruni became famous in the 1980s as a top model and also has a career as a singer and songwriter. She has both Italian and French citizenship and is the princess-consort of the Principality of Andorra.

 

Bruni was born in Turin, Italy, into a wealthy and musical family. Her mother was a concert pianist and her father was an industrialist and classical composer. The family moved to France when Carla was five to escape the threat of being kidnapped by the terrorist group the Red Brigades. Carla went to boarding school in Switzerland and studied art and architecture.

 

Bruni signed with a modeling agency when she was 19 and immediately became an international success. She worked for many of the top French designers and fashion houses. At the height of her modeling career, she was among the world’s 20 highest-paid models. She also lived a jet-set lifestyle and partied hard, dating rock stars including Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.

 

Bruni quit modeling in 1997 and turned her attention to music. Her debut album was released in 2002 and was a success in French-speaking countries. Her second album hit the shelves in 2007. Bruni married Nicolas Sarkozy in February 2008. She accompanies him on state visits while continuing her career in music. Her third album went on sale in July 2008.