• Carla Bruni is an Italian-born model and singer who is married to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. On June 5, 2009, a nude photo of Bruni, taken by photographer Pamela Hanson in 1994, was sold at an auction in Berlin. The photograph titled "Carla Bruni in Bed" was expected to sell for just under $5,000, instead, the image was purchased by an anonymous bidder for $19,600.MSNBC: Carla Bruni Berlin Nude Photo Auction

• 1. Born: December 23, 1968
  2. Birthplace: Turin, Italy
  3. Record label: Naive Records
  4. Active: 2002-present
  5. Albums: 3
  6. Married President Nicolas Sarkozy on February 2, 2008
  7. Previously dated Kevin Costner, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Donald Trump

• Nude Photo Controversy

  A nude photo of Bruni, taken in 1993, was auctioned off at Christie's Auction House in April 2008. The photo was sold for a reported $91,000. New York Magazine: Nude Carla Bruni Photo Fetches $91K at Auction

• Career

  By the late 1980s, Carla Bruni was one of the 20 highest-paid fashion models in the world earning $7.5 million a year. The Fashion Insider: Carla Bruni

  Bruni fulfilled her life-long dream of becoming a singer with the release of her first album, Quelqu'un M'a Dit in 2002. Her second album, No Promises, followed in January of 2007 and her third album, As If Nothing Had Happened, was released in July of 2008.

• Lawsuit

  Bruni filed suit against the clothing firm Pardon in December 2008 in the amount of $167,000 for the manufacturing and selling of a carrier bag featuring her nude photo. The photo was taken in 1993 for an anti-AIDS campaign. Bruni's lawyer, Gesche Le Fur, stated, "Neither Mrs. Carla Bruni nor the photographer has given consent for the use of the photo." The head of the clothing firm, Peter Mertes, stated "We plan to burn them all (referring to the remaining bags that were removed from the store)."People: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Sues Over Nude Photo (December 15, 2008)

  X-17 Online reported on December 18, 2008, that Pardon clothing firm was ordered to pay Bruni $75,000 in damages for using her nude photo on their bags. The firm was also ordered to destroy the remaining 5,000 bags still in their posession. Bruni reportedly plans to donate the money to charity.X-17 Online: Clothing Store Forced To Stop... (December 18, 2008)

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