Miffed at the rumours of her reported extra-marital affair, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is said to have asked his wife Carla Bruni to cut short her holiday in Thailand with her alleged lover, a British newspaper reported on Thursday.
Sarkozy has reportedly chartered a plane to ensure that Bruni came home, 'The Sun' reported.
According to reports, Bruni, 43, was holidaying in Thailand with Benjamin Biolay, a mop-haired pop star six years her junior. The pair are old friends. Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve yesterday reported that Bruni's holiday "was cut short by Nicolas Sarkozy himself".
"The president chartered a plane to bring his wife back to Paris," the Sun quoted the newspaper as saying. It also said that Bruni has been living with the singer since her return to Paris.
It is rumoured that Sarkozy, 55, is having his own fling with Environment Minister Chantal Jouanno and their romance started when she comforted him while Bruni was in Thailand. A spokesman for Jouanno, meanwhile, said she was "scandalised by this rumour".
Earlier, French newspaper Journal du Dimanche reported: "The presidential marriage is breathing its last." Sarkozy and Bruni married in early 2008 after a three-month romance. Meanwhile, Elysee Palace has confirmed that Bruni "will not be travelling to Britain" along with Sarkozy during his visit to the country on Friday.
Adding fuel to speculation about their extra-marital affairs, French First Lady Carla Bruni has claimed that she isn't sure how long her marriage to President Nicolas Sarkozy would last.
In an interview to Britain's 'Sky News', the former Italian supermodel-turned-singer described her relationship to Sarkozy as a "fairy tale" but gave a halfhearted response when asked about whether her marriage "was forever".
While discussing her 55-year-old flamboyant husband, Bruni was asked: "Is he for keeps -- is he forever?"
After a long pause, the 43-year-old First Lady replied: "I guess marriage should be forever but who knows what happens. I wish it was forever, that's my hope... but we could be dead tomorrow."
Rumours have been doing the rounds in recent days that Sarkozy and Bruni, who wed in February 2008, just three months after meeting in November 2007, are cheating on each other.
While the President is said to be romancing his 40-year-old Ecology Minister, also a karate champion, Bruni is rumoured to be involved with Benjamin Biolay, a mop-haired pop star six years her junior.
In fact, the suggestion that the First Couple are both having affairs first emerged on microblogging website Twitter, and was followed by a media report in the Sunday newspaper 'le Journal du Dimanche'.
The newspaper wrote: "It's the gossip of the moment that could become the story of the year. The rumour started on Twitter... It says the presidential marriage is breathing its last breaths. Bruni is in love with Biolay and the President has found solace with Jouanno."
Even French web magazine 'suchablog.com' alleged that Bruni had been a close friend of Biolay for many years and was now unofficially living with him at his flat in Paris. And the same story has been carried by other news websites like 'Yahoo News France' and 'Le Post', and TV channel 'i-Tele'.
