President Sarkozy's mistress now to be the new Mme Presidente ?

Glamorous Rachida Dati (Arabic رشيدة داتي rašīda dātī, born November 27, 1965 in Saint-Rémy, Burgundy) has a Moroccan father who worked as a bricklayer and an Algerian mother who herself worked as a cleaning lady, she is one of 12 children . She Has also been the mistress of President Sarkozy fro some time.

Plucked from relative obscurity to be the new Justice Minister on the 18th of May 2007 by Nicolas Sarkozy. She was ...er ... Nicolas Sarkozy's...er.... spokeswoman during the 2007 French presidential election.

She went to Catholic school, for the children of the haute bougeoisie. At 16, she started working at night as a paramedical assistant. She then worked for three years as an accountant at Elf Aquitaine while continuing her studies in economics and business management.

After meeting Jean-Luc Lagardère in 1990 she entered the audit management team of Matra Nortel communication. She later spent one year in London at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development again in the financial auditing department. In 1994 she was an auditing supervisor and secretary general of the bureau of urban development studies at Lyonnaise des eaux. From 1995 to 1997, she worked as a technical advisor at the legal management division of the Ministry of Education.

In 2002, she became Nicolas Sarkozy's advisor for whom she worked on a law project on prevention of minor offenses (prévention de la délinquance). In 2006, she joined the UMP party. On January 14th 2007 she was named spokeswoman for Nicolas Sarkozy as he was himself chosen that same day to be the UMP presidential candidate for the forthcoming April 2007 elections.

After Nicolas Sarkozy's victory in the French presidentials' second round on May 6th 2007, she was appointed Ministry of Justice.One of Rachida's brothers, Jamel Dati, already a felon, was convicted of drug trafficking in 2007. He was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence. Judicial observers say the "letter of the Sarkozy/Dati project on multi-recidivism" means he should go straight to jail, as a repeat offender. Another one of Rachida's brothers, Omar, is also a felon, due to be sentenced in November. Like Jamel, he got caught for international drug trafficking. Rachida stated that she does not recall receiving any cash money from them, at any point.

Those watching the French play at the Milennium Stadium may have glimpsed the lady sat in the row immeduately behind the French President.

Mr & Mrs Sarkozy have announced their separation today.