World News Story

01 December 2008 23:44 BST

Sarkozy marries Bruni

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has married his girlfriend Carla Bruni, according to an official statement.

Two radio stations had claimed a wedding had taken place at the Elysee Palace, the official presidential residence, and a spokesperson has now confirmed the pair were married "this morning in the presence of their families in the strictest privacy".

Mr Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia were divorced in October 2007, just five months after he took office, becoming the first serving French president of the modern age to separate from his wife.

He was photographed with former model Ms Bruni, 40, at Disneyland Paris within two months of his divorce and well-publicised trips to Egypt and Jordan saw the 53-year-old premier criticised by some for neglecting political issues in favour of his personal life.

The mayor who performed the ceremony told radio station Europe-1 that the bride was "wearing white and was ravishing, as usual".

Francois Lebel added: "The bridegroom wasn't bad either."

Though he did not name the couple, he added that the ceremony was "a moment of family intimacy for the young newlyweds, of great simplicity and apparently a lot of affection between the spouses".

RTL radio also named the couple's witnesses at the wedding, with Mr Sarkozy reputedly represented by Nicolas Bazire, a senior figure in the LVMH luxury goods group, while Ms Bruni's witness was Mathilde Agostinelli, the head of communications at Prada France.

The radio station also quoted Bernadette Chirac, wife of previous French resident Jacques Chirac, as saying getting married at the Elysee was "a wonderful thing".

"I want to express all my best wishes to this new household. She is very, very beautiful," she added, though her presence at the wedding has not yet been confirmed.