AP

France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Heaven knows what Mr Sarkozy makes of it.

The French president’s glamorous, chic - and heavily pregnant - wife Carla Bruni appears to have found a new best friend in junkie rock star Pete Doherty.

Former supermodel Miss Bruni is said to have developed a close relationship with the unkempt and troubled Babyshambles singer over their shared love of music and poetry.

The pair were introduced in Paris earlier this month, just days after his early release from prison for cocaine possession. They have since met on several occasions and friends have revealed they share lengthy phone calls and regularly exchange letters.

Doherty’s criminal past will not endear him to Miss Bruni’s husband, however. Nicolas Sarkozy made his political name being hard on drug-users while he was France’s interior minister and once described youthful law breakers as “scum” who should be “blown away with a power hose”.

Miss Bruni, 43, who is also a folk singer, has cancelled all her official engagements while she is pregnant with her second child. But there is talk that she is due to attend one of Doherty’s concerts in France this month and even that the pair could record together.

Doherty’s manager Andrew Boyd said: “Pete has got to know Carla, and they have a real connection.”

A friend told the Sunday Mirror: “They’ve met up several times and really hit it off. Pete really enjoys Carla’s company and is flattered by the fact she wants to spend time with him.

“Carla is just the type of woman Pete likes - intelligent, sophisticated and of course, extremely beautiful.”

“She knew all about his music and career, having followed his career and he was, of course, flattered.”

Miss Bruni regularly entertains friends from the music industry as she hopes to release another album next year.

She has previously enjoyed affairs with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton.

Other former lovers include American billionaire Donald Trump and she has a nine-year-old son with the philosopher Raphael Enthoven.

Doherty, 32, is a regular on the Eurostar high-speed train service between London and Paris, and is said to own a flat in the historic Marais district of the city.

He will be appearing at numerous concerts across France in the next two months, including the We Love Green ecological music festival in Paris.

As well as music and poetry, Miss Bruni and Doherty are linked through the world of fashion, having both attended haute-couture events in the French capital. Doherty performed a “guerrilla gig” on Avenue Montaigne off the Champs Elysees to celebrate the opening of a new branch of upmarket chain Joseph. The singer, whose past lovers include Kate Moss, model Irina Lazareanu and singer Lisa Moorish, has been jailed three times and appeared in court 13 times

He was last freed from prison on July 6 after serving three months of a six-month sentence for cocaine possession. - Daily Mail