Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is a guest on the Italian talk show Che tempo che fa.
Milan, Italy - 25.01.09

The French treasury has bought up thousands of copies of Comme si de rien n'était (As If Nothing Happened) and packaged them with wine and cheese vouchers and corkscrews as part of a new initiative to increase national food and drink sales worldwide.

According to Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, at least 14,000 people in 19 countries will receive one of the gift packs through the Ministry of Agriculture initiative.

The former supermodel-turned-singer's third album was released five months after her marriage to French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February 2008, but it sold less than 90,000 copies in France.

And now millions of French taxpayers' money has been transferred to marketing agency Sopexa - to cover the costs of the initiative.

Bruni brushed off her critics following the album's July 2008 release, blaming poor sales on a lack of distinction between her role as an artist and as First Lady of France.

She told reporters: "It's understandable that people can't help mixing up my work as an artist and my official role."

Source: WENN