Carla Bruni-Sarkozy baby news "wonderful," Ex-French-first lady says

(CBS/AP) PARIS - First, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's father-in-law spilled the beans, telling a German newspaper that France's model-turned-singer first lady is pregnant.

Now, one of the country's former first ladies says the baby news is a good thing.

Pictures: Celebrity baby bumps
Pictures: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's acting debut

"It's wonderful news to see this baby coming. It's a chance for France, absolutely," Bernadette Chirac, wife of ex-French President Jacques Chirac, told reporters in Paris on Tuesday at an event for a literacy foundation hosted by Bruni-Sarkozy.

"And a birth, it's a wonderful event for a family, the arrival of a child. There is nothing nicer. A baby at the Elysee (presidential palace), yes. It's wonderful for them and for all the French people," Chirac said.

Bruni-Sarkozy, also attending the event, wouldn't respond to questions by The Associated Press about the pregnancy. Sarkozy's office refused all comment.

Germany's Bild newspaper on Tuesday quoted Sarkozy's father, Pal Sarkozy, as saying: "Neither wants to know the gender beforehand, but I'm certain it will be a girl, and beautiful like Carla."

Reports of her pregnancy first surfaced in late April, when gossip magazine Closer ran a story saying the 43-year-old first lady was three months pregnant. The magazine said that officials were keeping it under wraps because her age makes it a high-risk pregnancy.

The speculation became more persistent earlier this month, after she declined to appear at the Cannes Film Festival for "professional and personal reasons," despite the fact that she has a cameo in the film "Midnight in Paris," which opened the festival.

Bruni-Sarkozy and Sarkozy married in early 2008 - less than a year after he took office. She has a son from an earlier relationship, and Sarkozy has three sons from his two previous marriages.

She has made no bones about her desire for another child: in 2009, Bruni-Sarkozy conceded in a published interview that she would adopt one if she were not able to have one with her husband.

The speculation has been rising in recent weeks that she was pregnant. Since France's Fifth Republic began in 1958, no president has fathered (they've all been men) a child while in office.

On Monday, at the end of a French television interview with Bruni-Sarkozy about her foundation against illiteracy, host Jean-Pierre Pernaud said: "I know you hate talking about your private life, but I want to simply congratulate you."

Bruni-Sarkozy responded with a big smile: "I congratulate you, too!"

From a wealthy family from the Italian city of Turin, Bruni-Sarkozy had a successful career as a model before becoming a singer-songwriter, known for her soulful lyrics and wispy voice. She's also known for her topsy-turvy romantic life, which included relationships with the likes of Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.