Cécilia Attias Biography: Age, Husband, Children, Net Worth, Parents, Career, Books

Cécilia María Sara Isabel Attias, is widely known as the former spouse of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and today as a founder of a women’s advocacy foundation.

She first drew public attention during her time as Sarkozy’s advisor and then briefly France’s First Lady in 2007.

During that period, she played a key role in negotiating the release of medical professionals from Libyan death row, an episode that elevated her profile.

In recent years, she has been active in philanthropy, especially for women’s causes, while living in the United States.

Profile

• Full name: Cécilia María Sara Isabel Ciganer‑Albéniz Attias
• Date of birth: 12 November 1957
• Age: 68 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Boulogne‑Billancourt, France
• Nationality: French
• Profession: Public servant, activist, former First Lady of France, vice president of public affairs
• Height: approximately 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Light brown
• Parents: André (Aron) Ciganer (father), Diane Teresita Albéniz de Swert (mother)
• Siblings: Three older brothers — Patrick Ciganer‑Albéniz, Christian Ciganer‑Albéniz, Ivan Antoine Ciganer‑Albéniz
• Spouse: Jacques Martin (m. 1984; div. 1989), Nicolas Sarkozy (m. 1996; div. 2007), Richard Attias (m. 2008)
• Children: Judith Martin, Jeanne‑Marie Martin, Louis Sarkozy
• Relationship status: Married to Richard Attias (as of present)
• Religion: Raised Catholic; father was Russian‑Jewish of Moldovan origin, mother of Spanish/Catalan–Belgian descent
• Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish (father) and Spanish/Catalan, Belgian/Flemish (mother)
• Net worth: US $1.37 million

Early Life and education

Cécilia Attias is now 68 years old and was born on 12 November 1957 in Boulogne‑Billancourt, France.

She grew up with three older brothers — Patrick, Christian, and Ivan — in a family whose father, André (Aron) Ciganer, was a Moldovan immigrant of Russian‑Jewish (and possibly Romani) origin, and whose mother, Diane Albéniz de Swert, was of Spanish‑Catalan and Belgian descent.

Her maternal great‑grandfather was the renowned composer Isaac Albéniz.

She studied for 13 years at a French religious school, Sœurs de Lübeck, where she earned a baccalauréat B and first‑preniece in piano.

She then enrolled in law at Panthéon‑Assas University (Assas), but left her studies to become a parliamentary assistant to René Touzet.

Personal Life

Cécilia’s first marriage was in 1984 to French TV host Jacques Martin, with whom she had two daughters: Judith Martin (born 22 August 1984) and Jeanne‑Marie Martin (born 8 June 1987).

In 1988 she began a relationship with Nicolas Sarkozy, divorced Martin, and later married Sarkozy in October 1996.

They had one son, Louis, born 23 April 1997.

Their marriage ended in divorce in October 2007.

During 2005 she left Sarkozy for Richard Attias; they married on 23 March 2008 at New York’s Rockefeller Center.

Career

After leaving university, Cécilia entered politics as a parliamentary assistant.

She served in Neuilly’s city hall and the National Assembly from 1989 to 2002, then served in the Ministry of the Interior (2002), as advisor in the Ministry of State, Economy, Finance and Industry (2004), and as Chief of Staff for the UMP Party (2005).

As First Lady in 2007, she personally negotiated with Muammar Gaddafi for the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor from Libyan death row.

After her divorce, she founded the Cécilia Attias Foundation for Women in October 2008 to support NGOs working on women’s welfare globally.

She now serves as vice president of public affairs and secretary of the advisory board at Richard Attias & Associates.

Net worth

Cécilia Attias’s estimated net worth is approximately US $1.37 million. Her wealth comes from her professional roles in public service, her leadership in philanthropy, and her executive position at a global events and communications firm.

Controversy

Cécilia Attias personal life became subject to public controversy—her affair with Richard Attias in 2005 triggered media scrutiny and has been described as a “force‑nine earthquake on the ego‑scale” for Sarkozy’s image.

The short duration of her role as First Lady and the circumstances around their divorce also stirred public and political debate.

Social Media

• Twitter/X: @CeciliaAttias
• Instagram: @ceciliaattias
• YouTube: Cecilia Attias on YouTube

Books

• Une envie de vérité (2013)
• Une envie de désaccord(s) (2019, with son Louis)