Bruni, woman of many disguises

French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has revealed she dons disguises so she can travel around Paris without being recognised.u00a0The wife of Nicolas Sarkozy admitted to occasionally wearing a wig so that she can use the Metro in the French capital without being spotted.

Born this way: French First Lady Carla Bruni said that in terms of her media image, she is like Lady Gaga. File pics

Bruni-Sarkozy, speaking to a French political publication, also compared herself to Lady Gaga while discussing her image within the media.

In one of her more bizarre interviews as she tried to boost Sarkozy's re-election hopes, Bruni-Sarkozy (44) said that she is often in disguise ‘literally as well as figuratively'.

Asked if she considered being the First Lady a difficult job, she said, "Not really. I've been, since the age of 20, well separated from my public image. It's greatly helped me that I've been a model and then a singer.

If I hadn't had the experience of media exposure, that would have been harder. Notoriety does not weight heavily on me, and then I disguise myself literally as well as figuratively."

She added, "With a wig, nobody recognises me on the Metro. Recently, my bag was searched on a visit to the Marine Museum."

She said that in the past, she had told Sarkozy that when it came to the press, Sarkozy was an amateur. "My affair with Mick [Jagger] stayed secret for eight years. We passed through all the capitals of the world and no photographer ever caught us."

Bruni-Sarkozy went on to discuss her apparent transformation into a loyal political wife along the lines of the late French First Lady, Claude Pompidou.

But she added that with her media profile, she has a very different public image.

She added, "I loved Mrs. Pompidou and I do not see that it is ridiculous to devote yourself to good works. Other than that, next to Mrs Pompidou, with my experience with the media, I am Lady Gaga!"

Asked directly if she deliberately played the ‘ravishing idiot', Carla replied, "I don't play anything, but I know my limits, and that's not exactly the sign of an idiot. Certain subjects like economics are beyond me, I won't pretend otherwise."

Others in disguise

Michelle Obama, the US First Lady, admitted to going on "covert" shopping trips in an effort to escape the confines of the White House. In an interview with late-night comedian David Letterman, the First Lady said she was able to go for "little jaunts out" to the horror of her Secret Service bodyguards. u00a0