The tough-talking Nicolas Sarkozy, who won the first round of French presidential election ahead of Socialist Ségolène Royal, casts himself as a moderniser and a man who wants to lead France into a 'clean break' with the past.

Cecilia Sarkozy, whose husband Nicolas was elected Sunday as France's new president, is a fiercely independent former model and PR executive unlikely to fit easily into the discreet role of first lady.